Heart attack survivor ‘saw the light’ in near death experience
IT was a case of heaven can wait for a grandfather who “saw the light” when he died in the back of an ambulance only to be brought back by the shock of a defibrillator.
IT was a case of heaven can wait for a Central Coast grandfather who “saw the light” when he died in the back of an ambulance only to be brought back by the shock of a defibrillator.
“They talk about seeing the big white light; well, it was deadset true,” John Beggs said of his near-death experience.
“I thought I was still conscious, I thought I was looking out the window of the ambulance and I saw this bright light that was so bright you would have to put your hand up to block it and there was this little black dot right in the middle of it.
“It was really calm and peaceful. I think that’s when the paramedic hit me with the defibrillator because the next thing I heard was him saying ‘stay with me’. That’s when I came back.”
Paramedic Noel Clark said he had never seen anything like Mr Beggs’ reaction to being shocked.
“He sat straight up, opened his eyes and fell straight back again and went into a regular rhythm once he was laying back,” he said.
“I’ll have to apologise for that. I hope I didn’t stop him from going to a better place.”
The 67-year-old Toukley resident was watching the comedy Daddy’s Home at Event Cinemas Tuggerah with his wife Gail on December 27 when he felt “like someone had parked a car on my chest” and thought “I know what this is”.
Westfield staff got him outside and gave him a pillow until paramedics arrived. He was in the ambulance no more than 30 seconds before he went into full-blown cardiac arrest.
“My wife said I was talking and laughing and then suddenly I was out of it,” he said.
“They just ripped my shirt off and hit me with the defibrillator.”
Mr Beggs got the chance to personally thank Mr Clark and fellow paramedic Christine Fletcher on Tuesday at a reunion at Morisset ambulance station.
But, given his hasty return from the heavenly realm, he contemplated “having a shot at Noel for bringing me back”.
“It was so peaceful and serene ... no, I am glad he brought me back,” he said. “I wanted to meet them, I didn’t want to just send them a card.”
Mr Beggs was diagnosed with a blood clot which created the emergency but did not require surgery.
As part of the reunion he was given a Cardiac Arrest Survivor Award, presented to people who suffer a heart attack outside of a hospital and live to talk about it — the survival rate of which is less than 10 per cent.
MAKING SENSE OF THE WHITE LIGHT
DOORWAY to heaven or an explosion of brain activity? Either way, the description of being drawn to a blinding light, sometimes via a tunnel, during a near-death experience has permeated the ages and transcended cultures.
For some, it is undeniable proof of an afterlife, for others simply a coincidence borne of the brain’s response to being starved of oxygen.
John Beggs said he grew up a Catholic but no longer attended church and, while he believed “in the word of God until proven otherwise”, he was also a fulltime builder who looked at “practical” answers to life’s mysteries.
“There were a lot of things involved but it was just luck, pure luck,” he said after paramedics brought him back to life with a defibrillator.
One of Australia’s pre-eminent neuroscientists, Flinders University Professor Marcello Costa, said the brain required a constant supply of oxygen.
If it was suddenly cut off in the event of a heart attack or other trauma, it sent the brain’s 50 billion nerve cells into a frenzy.
“Within a few seconds the brain cells react like crazy,” he said.
“It’s like the last gasp before they die.”
Prof Costa said like the affects of LSD or other illicit drugs, the brain could “trick” people into seeing things “that aren’t there”.
The reason people see white light is because the visual cortex goes into overdrive, with the brain tricking people into seeing “all the colours all at once, which is white”, he added.
While scientific research remains in its infancy, he said the feelings patients reported of peace or euphoria during a near-death experience were probably the brain’s “intrinsic defence” to a traumatic situation and a way to “disconnect from the real world” in the same way people have used meditation for thousands of years.
Gosford Anglican priest Rod Bower said it was an interesting talking point but “not an area of serious theology”.
“I think anyone who says they know why they do, wants money from you or wants you to join their cult,” he said.
‘A bit close’: Stars, standouts as Waratahs continue Super Rugby U19s march
The Waratahs have continued their match towards the decider of the Super Rugby U19s but there’s still things that need to be sorted. Stars, standouts, great photos from battle with Reds.
Heartbreaker! Rising stars of Waratahs, Reds rugby in U15s boilover
There was heartbreak for one and elation for the other. The annual battle between the Waratahs and Reds U15s had it all, including a match clinching last minute penalty.