Summary
Highlights
Marcy Rutland, a nurse, contracted a highly contagious and deadly Staphylococcus pneumonia in 1987 while caring for a patient. Despite using full personal protective equipment, she became severely ill, enduring eight months of high fevers, strep throat, and double bacterial pneumonia. Doctors informed her that she was unlikely to recover, and her condition worsened to a point where she was pronounced deceased.
Marcy suddenly found herself standing on a path in a glorious, brightly lit place filled with vibrant, otherworldly flowers and trees. She described the light as glowing without a discernible sun, emanating a profound sense of love. She encountered a golden coach with no driver, which she boarded along with other confused individuals. They were taken to a grand mansion.
Inside the mansion, in a round room with robin's egg blue walls, Marcy saw many people. She then turned to find her grandmother and great-grandmother, who both appeared to be 17-20 years old, despite having passed away decades earlier at much older ages. They prevented her from hugging them, explaining that she had died but needed to go back. Large doors opened, revealing tall, white, solid beings she recognized as angels. These angels, who were between 10 to 12 feet tall, prevented her from entering the inner realm, stating, 'No, it's not your time. You can't come in.'
Marcy instantly returned to her body in the ICU, where a nurse was preparing her for the morgue. Upon realizing she was alive, Marcy immediately understood what had happened but decided to keep her experience a secret for 30 years, fearing she would be deemed crazy, especially as a registered nurse. She eventually shared her story with her mother before her passing and later with her husband, who believed her.
Marcy's experience included seeing numerous animals (dogs, cats, wild animals, butterflies) coexisting peacefully, and she petted a golden retriever and a German shepherd. She described the experience as 'more real than real' and heard soft, classical-like music. She firmly believes in the existence of both heaven and a hell, with hell reserved for those who commit repeatedly evil acts against innocent beings. She emphasizes that in this realm, all are one, and there is no religion, only the undeniable presence of God.
Marcy returned from her NDE with a disturbing psychic ability: she knows when someone will die by touching them. She clarifies that this is not a specific date or cause but a strong intuition that surfaces as a 'flash.' She also noticed a lingering scent of lemonade when smelling irises, a sensation she experienced in her NDE that others cannot perceive. Her NDE led her to become a devout believer and pursue hospice nursing, where she shared her story to offer hope to dying patients and their families, reinforcing the belief in a wonderful life after death.