"I started to die!" - Germán

If you haven't read the previous post, PLEASE do so now, before you read this one. You need to have the background of the events surrounding my husband's hospital stay, and the awesomely incredible way God provided for us during that time.  (Go ahead...I'll wait!)

So what happened? First, here are some excerpts from his diary, to flesh out the story:

"At 2:00 p.m. on Jan.14, I was being hospitalized...fifth floor, room 532; this was my place of meditation for long hours...if it befell me to die, was I prepared to go? Yes...I felt peace; several days before entering the hospital I had cleared up loose ends with my Lord...He was the one who comforted me.  A hospital is a place to meditate on how short life is here on Earth, on the eternity we have yet to know, on the people here...whether they are ready...

"They took me to the OR the next day.  The anesthetist was the only one I knew.  My doctors weren't there!  Then a doctor introduced himself, 'I'm from England. I'm going to do your tracheotomy.'*...what could I say? (Glad to meet you! Go right ahead, but be careful!?) ...put me to sleep for 4 1/2 hours...at noon they woke me up...'Mr. Rhon, how many fingers am I holding up?' 'Two.' ...intensive care unit...try to figure out if any part of me was missing!  I had no voice...but it wasn't the time to tell anyone what had happened. 

"On the 16th...'Mr. Rhon, you're improving quickly.'  I answered, 'I'd improve even more quickly if they'd give me something to EAT!'  I hadn't eaten anything since the 14th...Now I could communicate; they had put a plug in my tracheostomy tube...with it covered, my vocal chords would work...In the ICU children weren't allowed to visit...finally I was back in room 532...how happy my kids were to finally see me, and I them.  Debbie had drawn some lovely pictures for me...I put them on the wall...

"Nine days in the hospital...how wonderful to get HOME and be able to REST!...I had lost 15 pounds. I'm sure I didn't sleep more than a total of 12 hours in those 9 days."

Once he was home, he wrote down his experiences and shared them with me. His most vivid and long-lasting memory is of the moment when he suddenly felt himself leave his body and everything around it and start shooting up toward bright light.  Not "a" bright light (like in the picture), just bright light - all around, it was all light, so intense it filled everything, but didn't hurt his eyes.  It was like he was in an elevator, rushing up into the light.  There was beautiful, sublime music all around, that gave him a profound sense of peace and tranquility.  It was indescribable...precious. He felt such joy, and was praising God with all his being.  He was going up to meet Him!

Then, suddenly, the "elevator" stopped and he was back in his body, waking up on the operating table.  One of the nurses said, "Mr. Rhon, we almost lost you!"  

 (* Fortunately, I had mentioned Germán's apnea to the surgeon, who was SO glad to have that information; he said performing a tracheotomy before the actual surgery would give them a chance if he stopped breathing on the table. Even so, he slipped away from them for a few moments before they could bring him back.)
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Once again, God was so good, not only caring for Germán during a potentially dangerous procedure, but also giving him the overwhelming gift of a foretaste of His heavenly Love and Joy and Peace.  Has anyone reading this ever had a similar experience? I'd be interested to know about it.

God bless you all this week, and fill you with His Peace.