We should have called for a medical evacuation. Although it turned out “okay” for me, it was foolish and ill conceived, and not something I would ever recommend. I had decided to fly home to be with my children, and I rationalized that because I was a doctor, my legs had been splinted, and I would be traveling with another physician (my husband), all would be fine. However, I was certainly in a state of shock and felt little connection to the cares of this world; my husband was in a state of shock too. Someone could have told us we were not thinking clearly, but we were the only physicians, and I think everyone deferred to our judgment (or lack thereof). Frankly, I am embarrassed by this part of my story.
What was your faith like before your kayaking accident, and how did your spiritual life change afterward?
Before my near-death experience, I was a Christian and believed that the Bible was the absolute and historically accurate Word of God. I was not, however, what anyone would call deeply spiritual or deeply religious and had no preconceived notions about life after death. My experience changed me profoundly in both spiritual and religious ways. I now know the promises of God to be true, that there is a life after death, and our spiritual life is eternal. While recognizing the limitations of organized religion, I fully participate in and support it.
How has your understanding of God changed?
The absolute knowledge that God is real, that He has a plan for each of us, and that there really is life after death changes the way I experience each day. I do not fear death, and that also changes the way I experience the death of others, even my own son. I know that every day really does matter and that I need to be about God’s business every day. I also know that God loves all people deeply and unconditionally … even those people whom I may not like or agree with. It motivates me to try to see the beauty in them that God sees.
How can these experiences be applied to others or used to face challenges?
I have given many details of my life not so that anyone should try to replicate them, but to show others that if you can transform your faith into trust, you can face any challenge with a grateful and joyful heart. What I mean is this: a small child has hope—hope that God will do what He says He will do. When we hear about and see God working in the lives of others, that hope transforms into a faith that God will really do what He says He will do. Not everyone has a profound spiritual experience such as a near-death experience, but taking the time to really look at the patterns of your everyday life and noting how events seem to unfold in a manner that is unlikely a result of chance allow any person of faith to begin to see God working in his own life. I think it is only when a person truly sees God working in his own life that this faith can be transformed into a complete trust that God’s promises are true. Complete trust that God has a beautiful plan and that it is one with a hope and a future allows me, and each of us, to face challenges with confidence and courage, even when the plan and its beauty seem hidden.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary C. Neal, MD, is a board-certified orthopædic surgeon, former director of spine surgery at the University of Southern California, and a founding partner of Orthopædic Associates of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She received her medical degree from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, where she also trained in general surgery before completing an orthopædic surgery residency at the University of Southern California. She went on to complete three fellowships in spinal surgery, trauma, and spine rehabilitation at highly-respected hospitals in Sweden, Switzerland, and California. Dr. Neal has published multiple articles and book chapters, and is a member of numerous medical professional associations in the United States.
Dr. Neal is committed to the causes of environmental stewardship, individual responsibility for making the world a better place, and increasing awareness of God’s presence, love and grace. She has served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, as a member of the board of directors for several non-profit organizations, and created the Willie Neal Environmental Awareness Fund (wnealenvirofund.org).
An avid sportswoman, Dr. Neal participates in recreational and competitive skiing, kayaking, bicycling, as do her husband, William C. Neal, MD, and their children. In 1999, while on vacation kayaking in the Los Ríos region of southern Chile, she became trapped inside a waterfall and drowned. Before being resuscitated, she had a remarkable, joyful experience of going to heaven and engaging in direct communication with angels. As an inspirational speaker, she lectures publicly about this transformational event and how it has impacted her life and her family, as well as the important lessons it holds about the meaning and purpose of our lives.
To Heaven and Back Page 14