Jeanne Ciampa

Jeanne Ciampa is well known and loved by audiences throughout New England as a singer/songwriter. Her amazing voice and powerful songs are a unique blend of folk, rock, country and urban music and if you visit her website at www.jeanneciampa.com you will be welcomed by one of her beautiful songs. She has performed with Bonnie Raitt and performed the theme song for the movie starring Jacquelin Bisset entitled "End of Summer." Her music CD was released in 2002 and is entitled Power of Falling. It showcases her sensual voice and songwriting abilities. At the age of twenty-four she was involved in a bicycle accident which resulted in a near-death experience. The following is her NDE testimony reprinted by permission.

The truth shall set you free. Those words are much easier to say quietly to oneself than to portray to another.

It was a warm summer day in 1993. I was in Nashville pursuing my dream of getting a record deal and writing songs for a living. I had also been accepted to Vanderbilt University to their graduate Divinity program. Born a Catholic but never really understanding what that meant, I was really searching for "God" but came short on any answers. In fact I was turning more toward agnostic beliefs at that point.

Life was tough. Money was tight. I had two jobs, both which I hated but it helped defray the cost of living. I went to school full time and worked at Compton's Foodland and an ice cream shop while trying to write music and play out as well.

It was a warm day and a boy I knew wanted to go bike riding. I felt as though he was trying to tempt me to "cheat " on my then boyfriend but I convinced myself it was just platonic. I have since changed my views about love and partnership in general but at that point I was a VERY naive girl of only 24.

That day I went to school, went to work and got the call from Porter to go bike riding. I liked him and wanted to go. On my way down the hill of a main road in Nashville something went terribly wrong. My bike hit a sewer grate. The lines of metal were about two inches across, wide open and my bike tire went in and halted the bike. I went flying over the handlebars head first no helmet on to the concrete at about 35 MPH.

This is what I remember: I stopped breathing, blood everywhere, pain horrible pain, not being able to move, wondering if I had broken my neck and then Oh my god, I can't breath. I am not breathing and then silence ... I am dying. I knew I was dying. My brain said, "What!!! This is my death? I AM DYING!"

Then a huge wave of peace flew over me like right now as I write this. I feel the presence of angels as I felt it then. Peace, no wanting, no pain, no longing just bliss. Then I saw my past present and future like a continuous roll of film and then ... I saw Jesus on the cross taking his last breath. I saw my body in a heap on the ground. I was above.

There seemed to be no differentiation of time. It was all one.

And then I felt his pain and loneliness as he took his last breath and he said without using words: "It is not your time to go" and BAM I was back in my body wrenching in pain strapped to a board bleeding all over.

They rushed me to the hospital and checked to see if I had broken my neck. I needed stitches and I bruised my whole body, sprained my arm, but not one broken bone.

Several miracles happened following the accident. For one, I had the faith of ten men after the accident. I also became psychic, clairvoyant, and able to see auras around things, people and animals.

It has been an amazing journey back to God. I am so grateful that Jesus cared enough for me to reveal this other dimension to me.

Over the years it has been challenged in many forms of death, disappointment, failure, accidents and it holds fast due to this one experience. I only wish I could make people who are so dismally lost and have no faith in the Divine presence, see and feel the magic that God's love and spirit can bring to everyone.

I feel like I have endured a lot of rejection in life and I know God uses me to plant seeds of those with a shut mind.

I only discovered NDEs years after the accident. I was shocked to find out many have had this experience. No two are alike just like every living thing on our planet.

God gave me a truth that day. But what I do with it is solely up to me. It is only my truth and can only set me free. As only your knocking will allow God in your life.

Jeanne Ciampa    bluemesamusic@charter.net