Cheryl Powell

Cheryl Powell

Cheryl Powell is a registered nurse. She tells of a personal experience that occurred following her heart attack in February of 1994.

I was losing my consciousness and I was completely aware of it. But I was not afraid. I thought, "So this is what it is like to die. This isn't that bad!"

Then I felt a great, loving warmth, an intensely bright light, and a presence. Telepathically, I heard the presence say, "Well Cheryl, what do you think now?"

I knew exactly what the question meant. It was a reference to neglect of my spirituality.

My years of practice in ED and med/surg had made me cynical, made me lose faith in God. I just could not understand why good people had to die such untimely or horrible deaths, or suffer needless trauma at someone else's hands. My inability to reconcile my faith with the horrors I saw made me leave hands on nursing for utilization review. But when that presence spoke, I immediately came to a realization. It wasn't that God deserts us in our time of need. Rather, he is there for us when we die; we are not alone.

With this new understanding I begged to go back to my life on Earth. And the presence agreed.

I remember waking up so joyful. I couldn't wait to tell others what I had learned. But I couldn't share my experience with anyone right away - not even the nurse who had remained by my side throughout the ordeal. When I finally did tell her, two days later, she was so positive and supportive I felt relieved. But when I told my doctor he dismissed me and my story. He said the whole experience was caused by Demerol, and wrote me a new order for Xanax.