Transcript
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One of life's greatest questions is what happens to us after we die?
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Is death the end or a new beginning?
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Welcome to the Round Trip Death Podcast.
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In this show, we listen to first-hand accounts of people who have gone beyond the veil and
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return to talk about it.
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We are happy to have with us today Julie Papiavis.
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Good morning or afternoon.
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Good afternoon.
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Happy to be here.
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Thank you.
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I mean, people are listening all over the world at different times of day.
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So good morning, evening, good night, etc., etc.
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Good day.
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Good day.
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And you're coming to us from near Chicago in the United States.
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If you wouldn't mind, before we jump into your NDE, tell us a little bit about you and
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your background.
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Well, I grew up in the same area.
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I have not moved far, obviously.
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It was really a very nice place to grow up in the suburbs of Chicago.
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I had a very nice family life.
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I have a sister and brother, mom and dad.
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And it was just a really, it was a nice place to grow up.
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And I had good experiences in school.
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And I really loved learning and loved education.
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And went on to college and got my degree in accounting and really wanted to pursue that.
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And I just got into the corporate world and then also wanted to branch off into more of
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like marketing slash sales.
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And so I was doing that and really, you know, getting a good career started.
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And that's when my injury happened, just at that point.
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And so it made a major detour in my life.
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Can I also add to that that you're an author and you can give a shameless plug for your
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book right now?
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Thank you.
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Yes, I have a book, Go Back and Be Happy, and that was written about 10 years ago.
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And it was just rewritten a couple years ago, about a year and a half ago.
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And it's on Amazon.
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And it's available on both audio and in print.
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And it's a wonderful retelling of my story and having and also a little bit about my
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life and about my recovery and just about the things that go along with being injured
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this severely and going through this major rehab process and then just rediscovering
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yourself after becoming disabled and your life drastically changing after just having
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a pretty ordinary life.
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A very life, but a horrific accident.
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Yes.
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Let's go back a little ways and tell us what happened.
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Lead up, lead up to the accident.
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Well, I actually was working quite a bit and a friend of mine, she said, you know, we're
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working so much.
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Why don't we take a quick trip to Cancun just to get away for a week and just to really
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enjoy.
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And so we did and we had a great time and I returned home from the trip on Sunday evening.
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And I remember that was Mother's Day and spent the evening with my family celebrating my
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mom and Mother's Day.
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And the next day I went to work and I don't have a memory of that because after work I
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was leaving a shopping mall where I had stopped to get some moisturizer for all the sun that
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I had received and in Cancun.
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I was leaving the shopping mall and it was making a lefty and turn out of the mall and
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a young man who recently got his license was speeding at 50 miles an hour and ran the red
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light and hit me right in the driver's door of my sports car.
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And it was horrific.
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As I said, why don't you give us a very brief summary of injuries?
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I know brain stem was the main thing.
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Yes, he hit me at 50 miles an hour.
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He twisted my head around on the brain stem and lacerated and severed most of it.
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But there was an off-duty paramedic at the scene who actually saw and heard the crash
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and was getting his vehicle worked on a paramedic wagon from the next town over.
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And he got on his radio that he had with him right away and called the fire station that
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was just one block down the street.
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He was going to respond to the crash and they did.
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And was giving them instructions and told them to bring the jaws of life because there
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was no other way they were going to get me out of the vehicle because it was so smashed
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in.
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And so he then got to my vehicle, saw that my head was so far down to my chest that I
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had either broken my neck or severed my brain stem or both.
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But either way, it wasn't getting any air and he was trained.
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And so he broke the back window, got behind me and lifted my head to start an airway.
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So I didn't lose oxygen going to my brain.
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And then the paramedic wagon got there with the jaws of life two minutes later.
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So three minutes, they were full on me because of the quick actions of the off-duty paramedic.
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And when they got to me, I already had no blood pressure.
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So they did what they call a scoop and run with the jaws of life.
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Then took the car seat out, scoop into the ambulance, ran into the hospital.
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And on the way in the ambulance on the expressway on the way to Lytle University Hospital, my
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body completed the dying process.
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And when I got to the hospital, there was a neurosurgeon waiting to do an EEG test on
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my brain to determine life or death status.
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And it was determined that I did not have enough brain function to keep me alive.
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So on most states, I could have been legally declared dead.
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But in Illinois, there is a law that your next of kin, your family member, your caregiver
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has to be contacted before you can be legally declared dead.
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And so they were forced to put me on life support and call my parents in to make the
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decision to keep me out or take me out the life support.
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And my parents were called into a room with a chaplain and a doctor and a nurse.
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And they were told that 96% of people with my injury died within the first 24 hours.
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And the 4% of people who live are semi vegetative, being toileted, and bed usually in a nursing
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home type setting for a very short period of time.
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So that was the prognosis that they were given.
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Short period of time, meaning that would be the rest of that person's life.
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It would be the rest of that person's life, which would be at most like around a year.
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For those of us without a medical background, how badly do you need your brain stem?
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I did not even understand that your brain had a stem.
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As I said, I was an accountant and marketing person.
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But as my neurosurgeon explained to me, that is your candle of life.
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That is the thing that when they do like an ultrasound on a woman who's pregnant, the
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reason that after six weeks that you have a heartbeat is because you have a brain stem.
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That gives you all your vital organs.
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And it's your only your invalid to your heartbeat, your blood pressure, all of those things are
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determined are able or made possible by your brain stem.
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And it's not very large.
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And it's on the top of your spinal cord and it connects your spinal cord to your to your
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brain.
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And my neurosurgeon explained it like it's like the electric company for the rest of
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your body to tell it how to live and how to move your brain stem.
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You cannot function without a brain stem.
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And so that's why the death rate is so high, because you literally cannot live without
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a brain.
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Right.
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Right.
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So I can't imagine what your parents were going through hearing that kind of news.
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And if they got to see you, you probably didn't look so great.
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Well, and that is an interesting comment, because that is one thing my parents kept
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asking for.
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You know, as they were talking about what happened to me, you know, they were asking,
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can we see her?
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We just want to see her.
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We just want to see her daughter.
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And so finally, they let them go back.
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They went to the back to the trauma unit.
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And my mom said, you look so peaceful and you look like you were just sleeping.
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I had no other injuries.
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So no broken ribs or no anything, just the brain stem.
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Just a little more than just.
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Yes.
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And and so, yeah, my parents were amazed that I just like I was sleeping because they had
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just heard how severely injured I was.
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And then they walked back there and it looks like I was so peaceful and sleeping.
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Right.
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Except for I'm sure the machines and things going on.
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Right.
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OK.
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Did anything else?
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Is there anything else you can tell us before before we get into the NDE?
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And do you know at what part of this process?
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Because it was a very long recovery and there was time before you were put on life support.
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Do you have any idea when the NDE happened?
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Oh, I'm sure it must have been because the paramedics said they never called the hospital
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to see how I was doing because they just assumed that I had, you know, passed away and that
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there was no hope.
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And, you know, I've actually spoken to a lot of medical schools and a lot of different
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physicians throughout the country.
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And it really comes down to, you know, a matter of how long you're going to work to keep someone
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alive, how much effort is going to be put into that, how much money is going to be spent.
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Yes, it does come down to that.
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And the prognosis for someone like me is terrible.
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It's terrible.
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There's no functioning life after having the damage of a brain stem.
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And so a lot of physicians now have said, you know, we would not make the effort and
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to save someone who is, you know, that severely injured.
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And there are some states where at the time of my injury that they do not have the same
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law as Illinois.
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And so I literally could have been, the physicians could have made the decision to not put me
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on life support.
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And that would have been it.
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Right.
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You were dead.
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Right.
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Right.
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I mean, when you don't even, you know, you can have, I had an erratic pulse that was,
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you know, I was in shock and I was training for a biathlon before my injury.
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I did one actually 10 years ago too.
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And I've always been an athlete.
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And so I had a very irregular, but a heartbeat still, because it's a muscle that will function
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for a bit of time.
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But I did not have brain activity to keep me alive.
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And that is the determining factor between life and death.
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Okay.
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So what happened to Julie?
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While Julie's body was so badly injured.
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So I found myself in this place and I knew I was there because I was dead and I was happy
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to be there and I wanted to stay there.
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I felt like I had gone home where I belong.
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I just wanted to be there and it was so wonderful.
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It was perfect peace.
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It was a perfect peace that cannot be described of anything that I had felt before or since
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then, or I believe that we are able to feel and living this lifetime on earth.
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And there were no floors or ceilings or walls.
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It was vast and open and light, but there was a narrow aisle way to my left hand side.
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And the brightest light was on the floor coming up the walls of the aisle way.
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And that's where I was very drawn to go down that aisle way because that is where I believed
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I was going to meet God.
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And I had a lot of questions that I wanted to ask him.
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Number one, I wanted to ask him, and truly I remember thinking this, I was going to ask
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him why he made that aisle way so narrow that when there's a lot of people who die in a
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natural disaster or something, how in the world could they fit down that narrow aisle
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way?
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I was thinking that and I thought I am going to ask him about that when I get down there.
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And then the next thing I knew, not like I walked, it's not that kind of, it's nothing
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of this earth, but I was suddenly before my two deceased grandmothers and I couldn't take
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my, we all had blue eyes and it's not like they spoke.
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It was like their thoughts were conveyed to me through their eyes because my mom's mom
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did all the talking and my dad's mom, my parents, my mom is 4'10 and my dad was over 6'6.
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So that's kind of the, my grandmothers were the same kind of relative to Princeton's eyes.
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And so my dad's mom just had was smiling and he had her arm or her hand on my grandmother's
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shoulder and my other grandmother did all the talking, which was kind of usual for their
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personalities and they were happy to see me and I was very happy to see them and they
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appeared to me to be my grandma's, not like before they passed away, but just my grandmother's
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and I couldn't take my eyes off my grandmother's eyes.
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They were like this endless tunnel of blue light and I felt God's presence right there.
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And it's not like she was talking to me.
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It's like her thoughts were conveyed to me through her eyes and I said, okay, come on
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girls, let's go pointing to the aisle way.
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Like it would be so great that we could go together.
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And my grandmother said, no, you can't go with us.
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You have to go back.
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And I suddenly felt, I was not frightened, but I did not want to go back and I was very
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stressed.
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I didn't want to go back.
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And I pointed to my left side and I said, I can't go back because I'm not physically
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okay pointing to my left side.
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It was paralyzed.
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And my grandmother, again, her thoughts were conveyed to me.
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I looked at her eyes and she said, your body will heal.
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And I felt the warmth and I knew everything then was going to be okay.
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And I felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit wrap around me like a blanket.
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And I just knew that everything was going to be okay.
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I knew what she had said to me was the truth.
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And then she said, go back and be happy.
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And so that's why we named the book that and that's why my website is that go back and
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be happy.com.
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That's why everything is go back and be happy because that's what she said to me.
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And then the next memory I have was waking up in the rehab hospital six weeks later.
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That was my first memory.
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And just waking up as if you'd been asleep.
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No, I woke up and I was totally paralyzed on my left side.
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It's inside and out.
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I couldn't see out of my left eye.
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I couldn't speak.
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I was fed through a G tube.
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I was in diapers.
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I had no so when you're paralyzed, it's not only that you don't have movement, you don't
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have any feeling.
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So it was like my left side was completely gone and I was frightened.
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I was at first I was very mad that how could this happen?
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And then I just got scared that how in the world was I going to have a life in this body
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that didn't work?
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And I remember asking God that how could you leave me in this body that doesn't work?
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What am I supposed to do?
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And I just couldn't stop crying.
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And that's why they put me on medication because I couldn't I couldn't participate in rehab.
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And if I couldn't participate in rehab, I was going to have to go into a nursing home
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and I didn't want that.
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So I said, Okay, let's get this done and start working on my recovery.
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And I had the hope of the Lord's words that my body would heal.
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And so I was going to try my best and work my hardest to make that happen.
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Yeah.
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So let's circle back to the rehab in a few minutes and focus a little more on the NDEs.
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Is there anything else that you can remember?
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For example, you knew your grandmothers and that they were deceased.
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Did they look like they did right before they died?
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Did they look younger?
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Is that something you saw or remember?
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Yes, they appeared to me like my grandmas when they you know, when I was a little girl,
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they were older women, but they were not like before they passed away.
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They were happy and healthy and smiling and they looked to be like the grandmas I always
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knew growing up.
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No wonder it felt like home.
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Absolutely did.
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I mean, I felt it felt like that's where I had come from.
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And then I just went back there.
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That was just my place to go.
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That that's right.
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And I still feel like that that after I am done living in this life that that's where
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I will go back to.
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And I feel like that's where I came from.
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And that's where I will go back to.
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Did you meet or see any other people beings there?
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No, I did not.
279
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Okay, you talked a little bit about feeling God.
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Tell me more about that.
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Oh, I, I, you know, as much as I'm sure my grandma, no, I shouldn't even joke around
282
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like that.
283
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They say that she was responsible for my brain stem healing, but she wasn't like that kind
284
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of person.
285
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But I know that it wasn't her, she that healed my brain.
286
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So I know that it could only be our Lord and God who was able to do that.
287
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Because after I woke up from the coma, about six months after that, they did an MRI where
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they loaded my brain and spinal cord with dye.
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And they, you know, put me in the clothes container and so you can hear the apparatus.
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And they said, Oh my gosh, her brain stem is normal.
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And so to the words of, of God, my brain stone was healed.
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And I know that when my grandmother said it to me, I know that it wasn't her because I
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could feel God's presence and I couldn't take my eyes off her eyes over these endless tunnels
294
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of blue light and I felt God's presence.
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I felt him there and it were just like her thoughts were conveyed to me.
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So he appeared to me as my grandmother's and I feel like, you know, that was perfect.
297
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He knew exactly who would comfort me and who I could because I believe that if I had to
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see, I know that younger children have seen Jesus and have come back.
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I don't know how I would deal with that every day and being, seeing Jesus and coming to
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this world and living in this world.
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I can't even see or watch movies or like on Good Friday to hear the stories of our Lord's
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crucifixion.
303
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It's too hard for me.
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It's too painful for me.
305
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And so I can't imagine having seen him and come back and live in this world.
306
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I think it would be even more difficult because I think even having the near-death experience
307
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or in my case, death experience, I think that I had to go for quite a bit of grief counseling
308
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initially because just to accept that and for that to be part of your new normal life,
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it's something that you really have to come to terms with and come to grips with and fit
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it into your life and what you're going to do with your life going forward.
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And my dad said something very good to me.
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They kind of put that in perspective.
313
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He said, you know, this recovery is a responsibility.
314
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And I said, I feel that I really do feel that and I understand that.
315
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And that's how I feel about it to this day.
316
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You mentioned the words you felt perfect peace.
317
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Expound on that.
318
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Like I said, it's just nothing I can explain that we feel here.
319
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It's just such a feeling of tranquility and beauty and of just perfection.
320
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There's not a care in the world.
321
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It's just it's it's just love is pure love and warmth and light.
322
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Normally at this point, I have 50 more questions, but I'm still processing for some reason.
323
00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:36,240
So if I come up with more in a while, I'll let you know.
324
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I hear that a lot.
325
00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:46,320
And it's so interesting because every one of these experiences is different.
326
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And I think that's so cool that you saw your grandmothers.
327
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Did you know them well in this life before they passed away?
328
00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:54,480
Yes, yes, yes.
329
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My family is is quite close and extended family as well.
330
00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:04,440
Yes, I always had close relationship with my grandparents and I think that's important
331
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and it's wonderful.
332
00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:06,440
Yeah.
333
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,520
And they looked similar enough that you knew exactly who they were.
334
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They didn't have to introduce themselves.
335
00:22:11,120 --> 00:22:13,120
Oh, no, no, no.
336
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I was so happy to see them and so difficult for my mom that my mom's mom, who did all
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the talking, she passed away in March before my injury in May, which was so I feel so badly
338
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for my mom that, you know, it was so close together.
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And my parents said that they had prayed to their moms that if I was going to go to heaven,
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that they would greet me and they would be there for me.
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So because, you know, no, my parents didn't know, you know, what to for me to expect in
342
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heaven.
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And they said they didn't want me to be afraid and to have my grandmother's there to welcome
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me.
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So it was in their prayers, which I thought was interesting.
346
00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:04,400
Also, that is interesting and an interesting way of learning a prayer is answered.
347
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:05,400
Yes.
348
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All right.
349
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Let's get back to recovery.
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The hardest work I've ever done.
351
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I imagine it had to been the hardest work.
352
00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:14,360
Absolutely.
353
00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:20,720
But before we do, why do you think I mean, some people, you know, they die and they die
354
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and they don't come back.
355
00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,440
And some people are given a choice of whether they want to come back.
356
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Right.
357
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You were just told you're going back, girl.
358
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I mean, can you speculate?
359
00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:31,640
Why do you think that is?
360
00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:39,880
Well, I've thought about this a lot because, you know, I wrote the book after a lot of
361
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:41,400
I didn't want to do.
362
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I really want to go back to do the kind of thing I was doing.
363
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And I don't have the energy to do that kind of upper level management work that I was
364
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doing.
365
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And so and because of, you know, different reasons that, you know, through my disability
366
00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:05,000
and their insurance and nobody will really insure me and because they don't favorably
367
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:06,000
on you.
368
00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:07,000
I wonder why.
369
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:08,000
Exactly.
370
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:15,720
And so, you know, I had to go on Social Security Disability and I'm so thankful that our government
371
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has it in place because I had to go on Medicare.
372
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So I had to do that.
373
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And I'm very happy to be able to have the ability to have insurance and to be able to
374
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do that.
375
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:37,520
And so I had to find another path to, you know, to work and to be able and I thought
376
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:44,200
when as soon as I woke up from the coma, I knew it sharing this story, God's story was
377
00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:48,680
going to be my quote unquote life's work, you know, work.
378
00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,040
It's really my passion.
379
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,400
It's really what I love to do.
380
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,280
And it's really my calling.
381
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I feel like I could do nothing else.
382
00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:02,160
And so that's when they're just it's always been it's always had a life of its own.
383
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:07,680
There were TV shows calling and people, you know, wanting the book to be done.
384
00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,800
And I had people wanting to do a movie.
385
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:15,080
And so I was out in California and there were producers who wanted to do that.
386
00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,880
But I walked away from that because of how things are handled.
387
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,660
And I would it wouldn't be my story anymore.
388
00:25:21,660 --> 00:25:25,760
And I wouldn't be able to tell it the way that I'm telling it now.
389
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:31,680
And I still believe that if the Lord wants more people to see it, that he will.
390
00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:38,000
And actually, they told me in Hollywood that it would make a lovely documentary and that
391
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,680
the Chicago area was a wonderful place to have that done and that it should be.
392
00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:47,360
There's a lot of details in the story that would make a wonderful documentary so that
393
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:50,000
I believe is still something that is possible.
394
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:54,640
And if God wants it done, that he will open those doors and show me the way to get that
395
00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:55,640
done.
396
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:56,640
And I'm happy to do that.
397
00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,000
And there have been people who've approached me.
398
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,920
And you know, I just feel that there hasn't been the right funding in place to be able
399
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:09,480
to, you know, pay people properly that as they should be paid for their work.
400
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,880
And, you know, being a business person, I understand all that.
401
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:18,440
So I would be very open to opportunities if people want to do that.
402
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,960
I just believe that this story needs to be told to more and more people.
403
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:26,200
Or you could just be on Round Trip Death podcast.
404
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,400
It trumps all of those.
405
00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:31,880
However, God believes it's best to be told.
406
00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:34,520
I will do that.
407
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:35,520
We'll go with that.
408
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:37,480
How long did it take to rehab?
409
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,960
But I know that's a process that doesn't just end one day.
410
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:42,960
Right.
411
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,600
Now, I grew up with a pool in my backyard.
412
00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,000
So like the first 12 years were intense rehab.
413
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:57,760
I mean, literally like eight weeks getting my left toe because my left side was paralyzed,
414
00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:02,720
getting me a left toe, but whole foot to be able to point forward so that I didn't keep
415
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:04,200
tripping on it.
416
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:10,600
And I mean, ridiculous amounts like eight weeks to work with, you know, certain fingers
417
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:18,480
to work together and intensive eye rehab for months and months and months and prism lenses.
418
00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:26,040
And now I have special contacts because my left eye is the pupils blown from nerve damage
419
00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,440
in my face and I have nerve damage in my ears.
420
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:34,120
So I actually have vertical all the time when I stand and I've learned to manage that.
421
00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:40,200
And I just keep my body strong through swimming and through lifting light weights to keep
422
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,720
my body strong.
423
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:48,920
And that's really the kind of rehab that I do now after, you know, because rehab ends
424
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:55,880
at a time where, but I have to say, I say it ended at time, but when I wasn't able to
425
00:27:55,880 --> 00:28:00,800
use the pool because everything was shut down because of COVID, I right.
426
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:05,720
The entropy came right back to my left side and I ended up in physical therapy again for
427
00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:12,600
nine months and they, because I couldn't bend over enough to dress myself and I went right
428
00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:13,880
back to what it was.
429
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,920
And so I was back in therapy and they, they're wonderful therapists.
430
00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:23,320
I call them God's little elves in my book and they are, they really help people to be
431
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,720
so functional and they're amazing.
432
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:27,720
Just amazing.
433
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:29,980
And so I did that during COVID.
434
00:28:29,980 --> 00:28:32,940
So it's an ongoing process, but you're also well enough.
435
00:28:32,940 --> 00:28:35,560
We're talking right now, you're in your office, you're working.
436
00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:36,560
Yes, yes.
437
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:41,080
I made a Fur Haven Wealth Management as a company I work for now.
438
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:48,600
So if I just met you for the first time and you were thinking, Hey, I was sent back here
439
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:52,480
to live, to deliver a message to somebody.
440
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:57,200
And I said, Julie, tell me what that message is.
441
00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:00,920
And you've got like 30 seconds ready, go.
442
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:03,040
Be happy.
443
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:10,280
And happiness for each person is whatever everybody knows what it is that makes them
444
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:11,280
happy.
445
00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:17,520
I believe that part of that happiness has to be faith, faith in something, faith in
446
00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:19,800
something bigger than ourselves.
447
00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:24,320
I believe that that's where our happiness comes from because you know, when you think
448
00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:34,400
about it, when you are a small person growing up, a young person growing up, you have instincts,
449
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:35,400
good instincts.
450
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:40,520
I believe everyone has good instincts from the minute they are born.
451
00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:45,920
And I believe if you act upon those good instincts, they will bring you true happiness in your
452
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:46,920
life.
453
00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:54,000
And I believe a lot of it is belief in God and love of family and love of fellow persons.
454
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:59,080
I just, I believe it's all rooted in love and happiness.
455
00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:01,640
And I don't think that's a silly thing to say.
456
00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:07,560
I think if really that's how you focus your life and begin your life, you know, all the
457
00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:12,000
other things about, you know, planning and doing all of that, I think that's all part
458
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,000
of it logistically.
459
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:21,560
But I think if you start just by loving yourself and being happy with who you are and happy
460
00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:26,480
and having, like I said, I think faith in something bigger than ourselves, I think that's
461
00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:30,660
a great place to begin and it will bring you a lot in your life.
462
00:30:30,660 --> 00:30:33,160
Would I be afraid of death?
463
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:34,160
Absolutely not.
464
00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:35,160
Absolutely not.
465
00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:39,320
You should not be afraid of death, but also you should be conscious of how you live your
466
00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:40,320
life.
467
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:48,280
We are, we are all raised in, not even raised by people, but just like I said, that just
468
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:52,360
what we have inside ourselves, the instincts that we have inside ourselves, that little
469
00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:57,640
voice that we all have, we know how to be good people and do the right thing.
470
00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:58,920
All of us do.
471
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:05,080
And I think if you live with those things, follow that little voice that's inside everybody's
472
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:10,880
head that I think it does matter what you do in this life and how you treat people and
473
00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:11,880
how you act.
474
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:15,760
I think it makes a difference in the life that you have after you leave here.
475
00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:22,320
Besides the fact that you've, you're going to be dealing with physical things, I imagine
476
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:27,880
for the rest of your life and your work has changed and some of those kinds of things,
477
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:29,840
how has this changed your life?
478
00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:35,040
What would Julie have been like without this experience compared to what you're like now?
479
00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:40,080
Oh, I think I would have been running my own company.
480
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:46,160
I think that I just, I love business.
481
00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:51,320
I love, I love work and I love it, love it.
482
00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:53,880
And I love also to working out.
483
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:55,380
I love that too.
484
00:31:55,380 --> 00:31:59,000
And I also love people in general and love my family.
485
00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:00,720
And I just love people in general.
486
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:06,160
And I speak a lot to schools who the Think First program, which is run by the College
487
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:12,660
of Neurosurgeons and their minds are so open to hear the message of injury prevention.
488
00:32:12,660 --> 00:32:16,240
They're so open to hear the story about heaven.
489
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:17,760
And you know what?
490
00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:23,400
The kids ask really great questions because they have a knowledge, they know.
491
00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:31,560
And I think that we out of fear of what people are going to think about us, we don't say
492
00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,120
the things that we really want to say.
493
00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:41,600
And I think that is the freedom that I not only have now, but I think I've always had
494
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:46,720
is I really don't care what people think because I always try to do the best that I can.
495
00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:49,160
I certainly don't ever want to hurt anybody.
496
00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:56,320
But I've always raised with the confidence to believe in myself and do the best that
497
00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,200
I can and not worry about what people think.
498
00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:01,680
I really never suffered from peer pressure.
499
00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:04,840
I've always just done the best that I can.
500
00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:11,880
And so I feel like, yes, my life logistically has changed in every way, really.
501
00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:19,560
But I just accept what has happened and accept what my life's work is now.
502
00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:24,520
It would be fun to be in the room when you're talking about this to children.
503
00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:29,040
What can you think of maybe one of the most off the wall crazy questions they've asked
504
00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:30,040
you?
505
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:31,040
Oh, my gosh.
506
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,760
They've asked me a lot of off the wall crazy questions.
507
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:35,440
I mean, but you know what?
508
00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:37,960
It's not even so much off the wall crazy.
509
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,720
They asked me such a thoughtful questions.
510
00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:46,400
They'll be like, I am so sorry you get to go through this.
511
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,360
And how were you feeling?
512
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:52,800
I imagine when you woke up, you were so overwhelmed.
513
00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,360
And just how can you get past a feeling of hopelessness?
514
00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:03,200
Because I think a lot of them with a lot of the media and things that they're receiving,
515
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:05,760
that's how overwhelmed that they feel.
516
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:11,680
And so that's what they want to talk about a lot of times are the feelings that are involved
517
00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:13,240
and how to get through those.
518
00:34:13,240 --> 00:34:16,080
So we talk about that quite a bit.
519
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:21,640
And they, they, you know, leaving, they think a lot of times come up to me afterwards, and
520
00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:24,680
they want to do a group hug, and they want to hug.
521
00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:26,000
It's wonderful.
522
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:27,000
It's really wonderful.
523
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:32,520
I feel like I give them a hopeful message and, and they are open enough to receive it.
524
00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:34,280
I think I'm going to be out of a job here.
525
00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,680
We're gonna have to get a child in this chair, asking the questions, it'd probably go much,
526
00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:40,000
much better than what I do.
527
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:44,160
No, it would just be just would be an extra added, I think bonus.
528
00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:45,160
Yeah.
529
00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:46,160
Okay.
530
00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:47,160
Any last thoughts?
531
00:34:47,160 --> 00:34:54,000
No, I just I hope that people, I don't mean to sound frivolous when you say, you know,
532
00:34:54,000 --> 00:35:03,480
what would be my takeaway and, you know, put that into like a minute long sentence or sentences.
533
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:10,360
I don't, I hope that when I say to be happy and to really love yourself and trust yourself
534
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:11,840
and believe in yourself.
535
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:17,400
I know that those may sound like, you know, those are canned kind of, you know, items
536
00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:21,480
that people say, but I really think that they have meaning.
537
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:27,440
And I really think if you think about them, and you really do trust yourself enough to
538
00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:33,560
love yourself enough and believe yourself in yourself enough that you really can have
539
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:35,000
a different life.
540
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:40,280
What about the person that right now says, I'm in a bad place, everything is going wrong.
541
00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,720
I can't be happy right now, Julie.
542
00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:49,200
Well, you know, and I was gonna actually just talk about that in, in the way that I, I called
543
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:56,200
the young man who hit me to tell him I forgave him, because I heard how upset he was in court.
544
00:35:56,200 --> 00:36:02,640
And of course, you know, he would be because the judge was, you know, really mad at him.
545
00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:08,240
And, you know, now it's up to 15 years in jail for how badly injured that he made me.
546
00:36:08,240 --> 00:36:13,280
And when the book came out, his mom contacted me through email, and I actually had to meet
547
00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:16,280
him when the movie was going on.
548
00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:20,900
And he just has not gotten it together personally and professionally.
549
00:36:20,900 --> 00:36:23,920
And I said, there is help for you.
550
00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:25,400
You can reach out to a therapist.
551
00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:27,320
You really need to get some help.
552
00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:29,040
But he never forgave himself.
553
00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:31,120
And you know what he said to me?
554
00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:34,040
He said, I feel like I got away with murder.
555
00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:37,200
I made him living with that.
556
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:43,520
So you know, so when you asked me what I tell people, I tell people that there are places
557
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,480
to go to get good help.
558
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:51,600
Talk to someone who can help you go to your church, go to a medical professional, find
559
00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,080
someone really reach out to someone who can help you.
560
00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:58,640
You don't have to live with that alone.
561
00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:04,480
And these kids with things going on with social media, tell someone, never think that you
562
00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,240
are the only person who has to know about it.
563
00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:13,440
There is there's you should have no fear in talking about how you feel and what's happening
564
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,080
and what you think is going on.
565
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,000
Never keep it to yourself.
566
00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:21,160
Always reach out to speak to someone.
567
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:25,600
That young man that ran into you, did he have a hard time talking to you?
568
00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:29,520
Was it was hard for him to go face to face with you?
569
00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,520
Yes, it was very difficult for him.
570
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:34,400
And what did you say to him?
571
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:35,400
I forgive you.
572
00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:36,400
I forgive you.
573
00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:44,000
So forgive yourself and turn around and look forward and look forward and do something
574
00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,400
in your life that you wish to do.
575
00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:49,920
But turn around and don't keep looking back.
576
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,160
And hopefully he's been able to do that.
577
00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:54,600
Julie, thanks a lot for being on the show today.
578
00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:57,120
Oh, thank you so much for asking me and hearing me.
579
00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:02,640
I appreciate it so very much.
580
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:06,640
If you have had a round trip death experience, we would love to hear about it.
581
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:10,320
Send an email to eric at roundtripdeath.com.
582
00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:15,140
And lastly, if you found this program uplifting, if it's given you just a little more hope
583
00:38:15,140 --> 00:38:19,880
in the future, share it with a friend, hit that follow button and take a few seconds
584
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:21,600
to write us a review.
585
00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:26,480
Until next time, I wish you everything good that you're looking for in this life and
586
00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:49,480
the next.
