Kimberly Meets Jesus In Her NDE

0:03 From the time that they pronounced me dead was a good 45 minutes. They cut my clothes and then they paddled my heart, my heart had stopped and I could see people screaming and crying but I didn't realize that was actually my physical body because I was somewhere else. The only thing that I could feel if you could imagine absolute love and peace, there wasn't anything else to be felt. I was greeted by people I'd known in the past. I'm back home again. Incredibly safe and felt at home. Welcome, welcome to Round Trip Death, everybody. And a special welcome to our guest, Kimberly Kennedy, who is in Las Vegas, Nevada. What's it like in Nevada today? Oh, my goodness. The weather is so pretty. It's very nice out today. It's not too hot. Still a little chilly, but it's beautiful. Now, for people that have not spent much time in Las Vegas, they probably think all there is is the Las Vegas strip and all the neon lights and all that kind of stuff.

1:07 But there's actually over a million regular people that actually live in that valley. Would you say you fall into that category? Yes, absolutely. Las Vegas is my home and I love it here. I've spent a lot of time there on business and have friends there and they love it. I get it. I don't get the love on the hundred and fifteen degree days in the summer, but I love it. I love it. Good. Well, we're going to jump right into this. You had a really special experience that we're going to hear about. And before we do, I'm going to give you just one minute to tell us a little bit about Kimberly. What do you do in Vegas?

1:49 Like I said, I've lived in Las Vegas my entire life. Most recently, my latest and greatest on me is I just got married. And so not only am I a brand new wife, but I also have got four stepchildren now. And so I'm an instant mom, and it's the best. I love it. That is so fun. Congratulations on both being a newlywed and a newly mother. I love it. Yes, it brings me true joy. Great. Let's talk about your physical health as you were growing up because it has something to do with the experience that you had about 20 years ago when it all came to a culmination. You had an undiagnosed issue from childhood that got worse as you got older. Give us some background. Tell us what it was like.

2:41 So I was born with a genetic heart defect that causes when My heart beats instead of the electrical pulse going out to the rest of my body, like my arms and my legs, my brain, like everybody's does, so normally and naturally, like we don't even think about it. It comes so naturally, but... When I was born, I was born this way, I was born with a genetic heart defect that causes, it's got an electrical pathway, an extra one, that causes when my heart beats instead of going out like it should, it just goes around and around and around and around in a circle, and it causes me to go into AFib or VTAC. the superventricular tachycardia was the official term and diagnosis that I was given. Now, relate that in regular words. What does that mean for the rest of us?

3:41 Fast heartbeat? Yeah, super, super quick. So that day it ended up getting to 240 beats per minute. And up until that time, like I said, I was 25 years old when this happened. So it's been exactly 20 years growing up. never had a whole lot of indication. I did on occasion, like I said, with the genetic being born with it, it was something that when I was put into extreme situations physically, on occasion, it would manifest in like an extra little heartbeat, but nothing like it was that day. And I was very, very active. I was busy, busy, busy. So it really came out of nowhere. That must have been so scary.

4:26 Yes. It was unexpected. Where were you and what did you do? So this is really wild really crazy I actually was working at the high school where I went to high school at so my alma mater I was working there later. What happened that day? I had gotten up to go to work And it was like any regular day, except I was running a little late. I had wanted to shower but hadn't had the chance for one. So I ran out the door really quick wanting a shower. But I was able to get to work on time. made it through the day, and then I was getting ready to go home. Everybody else had gone home for the day. I was sort of last to leave. There were a couple other people there, but for the most part, it was just me.

5:14 I was walking out to my car, and as I was walking out, I started to feel a little sick. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I'm like, well, maybe I just need to get home and get a little rest. As I got to my car, I realized that I felt sick, but I also felt like my heart was racing, which was strange because I wasn't running. I wasn't doing anything physically strenuous. But I know what it feels like. When I go to the gym, I get my heart rate up and everybody knows what that feels like. But here I was, I was just walking and hadn't been doing anything strenuous. And I had this feeling of like my heart was just racing and running. So I reached out and tried to find my pulse and I couldn't. And I said, well, maybe if I can just drive myself to the hospital, I'll be okay. By the time I got into the car, I realized I was in trouble, that there was something going on, something was wrong.

6:12 I remember thinking to myself, if I can find somebody to call 911, I might be okay. Like I had no clue what was going on. So what happened? Were you able to call 911? I didn't have access to a phone, so I actually ended up having to walk a mile back to the main building before I found help and before I was able to find a co -worker, a couple co -workers who were able to call paramedics. The paramedics were really confused because I was only 25 years old. I wasn't very old and I had never had. symptoms had never been diagnosed, but here I was with this heart rate, they said, you know, was getting higher and skyrocketing. So the paramedics got there.

7:00 It was kind of a really interesting and funny interaction. The paramedics got there and I really didn't want to go with them. I was just hoping that like they would get there and snap their fingers. I don't know what I thought they were going to do. But I said, I really don't want to go. And the one paramedic, I remember he looked at me and he said, OK, honey, he says, we can get you ready to go. Like we can get you in the ambulance, get you ready to go to the hospital and take you that way. Or we can wait till your blood pressure gets so high that you pass out and then we'll take you. Like it was that bad. Those were my choices. Great options. Thank you.

7:41 Yeah, thanks. Great options, great choices. And I remember thinking at the time, this is not fair. Like, this is not right. I want to call my husband, you know, at the time who I was married to. And it just didn't make sense to me. I was 25 years old. I was healthy. I said, OK, you know, at that time, I made the choice. And I look back now on the experience and I realize I had a choice at that experience, you know, at that moment. Like, I could have stayed there and I could have passed out and I could have let them do what they did to me. after I was passed out. But I think making the choice beforehand to take the next right step, which was a scary step, but to let somebody who had the experience, who knew more what was going on to my own body, and I did, to let them kind of step in and do what they needed to do and take control and help me, and I needed help. Wow, pretty terrifying.

8:37 Did the NDE happen right then or was there more before you got into that? It was pretty quick after that. Go ahead, tell me what happened next. They got me into the ambulance and my heart rate was going so fast and it wasn't sending that electrical beat out and so my body and trying to preserve itself was taking all of the blood from my limbs and bringing it to the most essential part of your bodies, your organs, make sure that they're okay, they're healthy, they're not dying. And so because of that, they were having a really, really hard time finding an IV for me, really, really struggling. But they finally got one in.

9:19 The paramedic looked at me and he says, we're gonna give you a shot. And he says, it's thick. So I have to push it fast. Like I have to push it really quick. He says, and it's gonna hurt. I remember like this was literally, I didn't really even have a chance to say no. I didn't have a choice. This was not really something I was able to say no to. I just remember thinking, I don't want you to do this. He says, I'm going to count to three. That's what he did. He counted to three and he said one, two, three, and he pushed that shot. It was intense. It was like lightning, like I had been kicked in the chest by a horse. And it was wild. But when he pushed the shot, everything went black. I lost consciousness.

10:15 My spirit flew from my body. I mean, it was this exhilaration. When I've tried to write this experience and what happened to me out later on, I think the first time I wrote it out, I wrote we, like W -H -E -E -E, we. It was just this freeing, very liberating, but it was beautiful, just exhilarating, I think is the word. I love that. So it wasn't a horrible, strenuous, you know, death, rip you out of your body kind of thing. It was a celebration and a We, as you put it, we... I love it. Tell us what you experienced. Anything you can remember, you saw, you heard, you felt. Give us all the detail. I remember this feeling of exhilaration, just flying through the darkness. And for a while, like it was cool, it was freeing, it was fun.

11:13 And then... I realized somewhere deep inside of me that the situation, it was dark, it was pitch black. Not only that, but I was alone. All of a sudden, I was afraid and honestly full of regret. Was this it? Was that life? Was that it? I remember. It took me a little while to reflect back on this. I see now, it's kind of funny. When I was growing up, my mom had this picture and I looked at his name. His name was John Scott. He had this picture and it's called The Last Judgment. And when I was a little girl, I remember looking at that picture and I remember looking at all the faces and trying to find my face. in that picture. And in this picture, there's a picture of Christ in the center, and then you've got angels, and then you've got kind of this little darker area. It was kind of hard when I realized that this is something I experienced.

12:18 It was a little hard to reconcile with my conscious mind that I felt like I was in a type and sort of prison. I know that sounds a little scary. It wasn't though like the hell and brimstone type of prison or hell afterlife type sort of situation that I had ever heard about. This place where I was, it was dark and there were mists of darkness everywhere. And I remember that there was a light and it was coming from somewhere, but I didn't know where. And I remember at that moment, it was almost like I could see myself.

13:00 And I remember I was sitting somewhere with my my hands in my head and I remember just the feelings I had were that of regret and that of loss and that of a lack of progression, like a loss of this lack of progression. It was profound and it was deep, deeper than anything I can ever remember feeling. I just remember going over some of my life's experiences at the time. I had struggled with an eating disorder. I'm in recovery from that. My husband and I, we were not able to have children. That was hard for me. One of the harder things that I was dealing with at the time. Also, I was dying. My body was dying. I was mourning the fact of my own death. I was mourning. the fact that I was dying.

13:59 And I remember at that moment, it was so sweet, so tender and a little hard to talk about, and this might be a little too sacred. But I hope that in sharing this that I'm able to share some hope. I really feel I had an opportunity to see the Savior, to meet the Savior, Jesus Christ. I think that, you know, I feel like I had the opportunity as I'm mourning. I remember feeling a presence. And I remember just, you know, I don't know, it's that feeling when someone enters the room and you've got your eyes closed, but you kind of sort of know that they're still there. That's kind of what it felt like. I felt like he was watching me. He came over to me and I felt he knelt in front of me and he just listened.

14:46 And I bore my soul. I cried and I sobbed and I regretted. And I remember hearing him speak just two words. I'll never forget him for the rest of my life. He said, I know. I know. And it was at that moment that my spirit was filled with such love that I was in good company and that I was not alone and that there was hope. There was hope. It's funny. I'll bring this up now because I feel like I need to. I really truly believe that the only reason why I was able to come back is because I did meet with the Savior.

15:31 I think that, you know, in all of the stories that I've ever heard and that I know, He's the only one who came back, right? So He would know how to help me come back. I think that's what happened. I think that's one of the things that happened. That and there's opposition to all things. And in this process, I think that the adversary was there. And I think he was absolutely trying to convince me that I didn't need to live, that nobody needed me. I was not necessarily important, but the Spirit confirmed to me that my life was very, very valuable. My experience was valuable. and that I do matter to others, and that I do make a difference. Going back to that place, that prison, and that experience with the Savior, after I had borne my soul to Him, I felt like He gave me these two words, I know. And then we talked a little more, like I shared with Him some of my regrets, some of my sins, some of the things that I had done wrong, and that I maybe needed His help with. to restore me, to heal me from. You know, he would explain to me how he would help me with those things, but it always came down to, you know, I would always say, but, but it was type, this type of, but I've got this, but I've got this, but I've got this. And he would like, he would explain what needed to be explained to me, but he would

17:03 always kind of sort of end out with, I know, like I know. I get it. I know. When I got to the point where I was like, okay, this is okay. Like, I'm going to be okay. I was still dying. And so I had to move through this process. But the next place that I went, this is the part for me I've had a hard time reflecting back on. But I hope after sharing my experience here, after listening to some of the experiences on your podcast and on your YouTube videos, I'm going to be brave. I'm going to be brave and I'm going to go back and I'm going to reflect on this part. I know that I was brought to a beautiful place beyond description, full of love, where I believe I met up with my sister. My sister accidentally drowned in our family swimming pool when she was three. I was only three months old when she passed away, but I always felt the spiritual connection. My mom always said, you know, that my sister was always looking out for me. My sister was always kind of our guardian angel watching out for our family. And I always felt that. And so I feel I had the opportunity to meet her.

18:14 I feel like I had an opportunity to meet my grandma, Lynn, who was my great -grandmother. She was blind. She raised six kids. She was a widow during the Depression. I mean, she was really a great woman. And so I feel like I had the opportunity to rub elbows with her for a second. And I really feel like, you know, that was a special experience and opportunity. As great as it was and as lovely as it was, my body again, my body was still dying. I had to make this decision, this choice to stay or to go. It was kind of sort of around this time. It all happened really, really quick when he push that shot, my spirit just flew out and it was we, it was exhilaration. But coming back, it was kind of quick too. Once I figured out, okay, so when he gave me the shot, it dropped my heart rate. So it had dropped my heart rate over 100 beats per minute in less than a second.

19:17 And it had knocked the wind out of me. And so I needed to in order to breathe in order to come back again. I had to breathe again. This is the part that I'm like, I'm sure the savior was there to help me kind of transition through this and help me kind of sort of figure out what I needed to do. I knew I needed CPR. You know, when my sister passed away, when she drowned, my parents made sure that's one of the things we were taught. We knew. We knew how to do CPR properly so that if ever we were in that situation, we'd be able to. to handle it better than she felt that, you know, she had not been able to help save her daughter. So I knew I had to breathe. I knew I had to get my heart to beat again. And I knew I needed the circulation, but I couldn't do that without breathing. And I couldn't do that without a heartbeat. I remember when everything went black. I remember eventually, I remember I heard a beep. When you're at the hospital, you hear the beep or like the register at the scanner at the grocery store, that beep. It was kind of like that. I realized it was their machine going off. I remember hearing a voice that said, we're losing her. And then I remember thinking to myself, are they talking about me? Like, they're losing me. I was laughing so hard because I'm like, oh, guys, you haven't lost me. I'm gone.

20:44 I am not even here. How can you say you're losing me? Like, I'm not even here. I'm gone. Then I remember hearing a voice that said, Kimberly. stay with us. And I knew in order to do that, I had to breathe again if I was going to stay alive. So I took that first breath of air by the, you know, miracle. It was a miracle. The way I describe it and can describe it is I remember the first time I was swinging on my family swing set and I fell off backwards and I knocked the wind out of myself. And taking that first breath of air kind of felt a little like that. Okay, I've got 30 ,000 questions to throw at you. This is amazing. Thank you again for sharing. And in case I didn't mention it earlier, you are sharing for the first time in a public forum like this. I appreciate your bravery and your trusting us to put it out there. And so if anything that I ask feels uncomfortable to you, please, you don't need to answer. But let's start with whose voice do you think that was? that said, Kimberly, stay with us. Was that the paramedics or somebody else? My first thought was it was probably heaven. It was probably heaven, a little piece of heaven. I think it was probably the paramedic, too. It was really strange, though, because at the time, it sounds kind of funny now, I actually, most people called me Kim. I've

22:15 tried to go back and I've tried to remember like when the paramedics, that's one of the questions they usually first ask you when they get on the scene, what's your name? And at the time I was going by Kim. And so it was really, really strange to hear Kimberley. And that's one of the reasons why I kind of think it was, I think it was heaven. Tell me how literal some of this was. Was it more, I don't know, kind of... kind of something that you felt or that you actually saw and experienced deeply with? You mentioned meeting your sister and your great grandmother. It is as real as the conversation that we're having right now, Eric. Oh, so it was virtual. I get it. I'm kidding.

23:00 Well, to be honest with you, I've actually had kind of sort of that type of sort of thought. So when COVID happened, One of the things that was the hardest for me is not touching people. And I really feel like in the pre -existence before I ended up with my body, that's probably one of the things I wanted to do most was put my arms around somebody and experience what a touch felt like. For me, it was kind of eye -opening that we would ever be put into a situation again. where we wouldn't be able to touch each other. I think it's awful, right? It's been rough. Virtual is great because you can't always get in person, but technology, yeah, it's great when it works, but when it doesn't, it's a hassle. Next time I'm in Vegas, I'm dropping by for a hug for a second, and then I'll be gone. Tell me a little bit if you... can, a little bit more about the meeting with Jesus. Was that something also where you felt like you saw Him face to face or just felt His presence there? It was Him. I think He was probably the only one who could make me feel the way I felt. Okay, so I think it's different because I didn't have my physical eyes on me at the time, right? So how could I really see him physically without those physical eyes? It was as real, like I feel like I saw him as real

24:34 as seeing you on screen today. So it was a little different because I didn't have my physical eyes. So I can't really, I don't feel comfortable saying that I saw him, but I saw him. I saw America. I saw him. You experienced him, definitely. What do you make of the darkness and the mist and the regret and stuff that you felt at first? Why do you think that happened? It's interesting because I actually, and I've, like I said, I never shared really on a public platform before. And it might sound a little funny and it sounds really weird saying it. I was comfortable there.

25:17 Eric. I was comfortable there. I was comfortable in prison, which is weird for me to say because I've never been in prison. It's not something I've ever wanted to do. But in this place, I felt comfortable. And looking back and talking with you now, I think maybe in part it has to do with we need a place where we can lay it all down. We need a place where we can let it go, where individually we can let it go. And when we are able to then let it go and move on and move forward and progress, our world opens up.

26:04 It becomes beautiful and hope and possibilities open up. Ask the question again, Eric. No, I was asking about the darkness and the mist and just why do you think you were in that kind of a place that felt scary versus feeling that all -encompassing love that came later? I was watching one of your other YouTube and you asked a good question, and I think this relates. I think this will tie in. You asked, are you afraid of death? And I've got to be honest, if I were to answer that question, I would say I used to be afraid of death before this experience. Right now, what I'm afraid of is regrets. Like, I'm more afraid of the regrets that I'll have to bring back.

26:53 But even then, I'm not even really afraid of that because I know that I can lay it down and I can give it away, I can give it back, and I don't have to carry it alone. I'm not alone. No, that's good. We're going to come back to a little bit of this in a minute. I'm curious just if you could wrap up physically what happened to you. Did you need surgery? How did you get fixed from this, your broken heart? I came to, they gave me the shot. I took that first breath of air. When I took that first breath of air, what had happened, my heart rate had gone from 140 beats per minute to 126 and it felt good. I think that I was having kind of an after effect.

27:37 That's the only word I can come up with. Maybe you can help me come up with a better word. But as soon as I took that first breath, I opened my eyes. I was staring into this paled face paramedic. And I laughed. I laughed so hard. And he was just... He was in shock. He looked at me and he said, we've never ever had that kind of a reaction to this kind of medicine before. And I took another breath and I laughed again. And I said, can I have another shot? He shook his head at me. And he said, no, honey, another shot would kill you. So they took me to the hospital.

28:26 My heart rate As soon as it got under 100, the doctor said, check in with your family doctor and sent me home. I slept for four days. The doctor said I had run the equivalent of a marathon without actually running the marathon. It took me four days to get that shower, Eric, four days, four days to get that shower because I was so tired. But as soon as I got that into the shower and that water hit my body for the first time in four days, Literally, Eric, I'm not joking to you, best shower of my life to this day. I was as close to heaven as I had been in four days. It was heaven. Did you say that your heart rate with the shot went from 240 to 126? Over 100 beats per minute, it dropped in less than a second. After all of this, and you get home and you're feeling better, Who did you tell about this experience that you had? Not the physical part, the spiritual part. My mommy, of course.

29:32 Of course, my mom. Mom always understands. I think she, as my mother, understandably so, she was really concerned. She was really worried. She was like, what happened? Kind of funny side story. My brother that same day, he got, my parents, I guess, had called him. He's an artist. And so he was working with a razor blade on a sculpture. And my sister came, my sister -in -law's wife came in and she said, Kim's in the hospital. It's her heart. And he's like, what? And he forgot what he was doing. He cut his wrist like huge, huge inches ended up in the hospital. Same day I did with stitches. He's got this huge scar.

30:15 He didn't tell me about it till like seven. years later. He didn't tell me about it, stinker. Well, it was your fault, so he was being nice, right? The people that you told about the experience, did they believe you? Yes, because I'm just not one for telling stories that are in this context. I'm not a storyteller. Yeah, I believe you. How did it change your life? I think I took a lot of things for granted. before this experience, even after this experience, even today, I'm telling you, it's terrible because I'm sure anybody who is probably even listening to this story saying, well, you know, how can you have had these experiences and still make mistakes, right? Like, I mean, how is that possible? But it's possible. I'm human. I'm imperfect. I will continue to be imperfect.

31:11 I will continue to make mistakes. But I think that for me, the experience, man, I thought I had it rough. It wasn't two years later. I ended up, and this might be another story for another time, Eric, ended up paralyzed and wheelchair bed bound for seven years afterwards. I ended up getting divorced from my husband of 15 years, the one we weren't able to have any children with, ended up getting divorced a couple years after that. It was a couple years after that, my parents ended up passing away in January and February. So I lost my parents in less than 30 days of each other. And so I think having this NDE for me was a tender mercy. It prepared me for harder things in this life that I would have to then make choices about. Hopefully, again, like I said, not so afraid of death, but of regrets, like making good choices and making sure that I don't have any regrets. And if I do have regrets, fixing them as quickly as possible and not holding on to them, moving forward. But, I mean, have also experienced this really, really great thing we talked about before. I just got married. Like, I'm a mom now. Like, I've got kids. This is great.

32:33 So, my whole life is a blessing. I look at every step that I take is a blessing, every heartbeat, every breath. Eric, and I'm just so grateful for the opportunity to share that. The last thing that I want to talk about, and now I am going kind of back to what I said I was going to, and that is your experience with Jesus. You went right from all these regrets and all this darkness and everything to being with Him and feeling the love. And I forget your exact words, but can you just delve into that a little bit deeper? It's a peace that passes all understanding. Because I was in turmoil. I was conflicted. I was full of regret and I was dying. And I suppose, I guess now the thought that comes to me is it's the difference between life and death. That love, that's what makes the difference. He said, I know, to you a couple of times. Was that a very simple thing or was there more meaning to it?

33:41 There was more meaning to it. So I mean, I can give an example. I have struggled with an eating disorder and a part of that eating disorder had to do with some abuse and being a survivor of this abuse. And so in order to take this to the Savior and lay it at His feet and to experience that love, and it wasn't just for me, right? It's for this individual who was abusive. I have to forgive, and myself. And I know that that's, again, no regrets. I've got to let it go. Got to move forward. Because I've been able to do that, I am now in recovery. Like, I'm doing great.

34:32 I'm doing so much better. Again, it's life changing. When you can forgive yourself, it's one thing. But when you can forgive somebody else, that's really life changing. I want to get just a little bit deeper into the I know that he said, because it can mean so many different things in this life. It can be a very flippant, oh, yeah, I know that, you know, kind of thing. But I have a feeling he was saying it meaning something much deeper. What do you think that was? Well, thinking about it right now, I think it meant that he's been there. He's been betrayed. He's been abused. He's been rejected, and that all of those feelings, whenever I feel them, I don't have to ever feel alone. That He knows what I'm feeling. He knows what I'm going through. And I just, I hold onto those two words. I'll never forget them, Eric. It's beautiful. All right.

35:37 Very last before I let you go. You mentioned the word hope a while back. Wrap that up in a bow for us. Leave everybody with some hope today. Oh, wow. That's not a big ask. Just look outside, right? The gratitude we can have for the air that we breathe and for the sunshine that we have. And for the rain or the water that we have for this beautiful earth, it's gratitude gives me hope. I think you talk about gratitude. I've heard you talk about gratitude. That's important. I think that that can give me hope. And it's really, honestly, if you just open your eyes, look up, it's in the people around you. It's in the connections that you make with others.

36:26 That gives me hope for Yeah, for life and, you know, life after death, it's not the end. We continue. We continue to progress, and I'm looking forward to the journey. I'll embrace the struggle here, and I have hope. I have lots of hope, and I hope everybody else does, too. And if you don't have hope, hold on, because it's out there, and look for it, because it is out there. Don't give up. Have hope. Thank you, Kimberly. That was beautifully said. Appreciate it. Thanks again for listening and sharing this podcast. Don't forget to hit the follow or subscribe button and sign up for our newsletter at roundtripdeath .com. If you want to share your near -death experience or if you have questions or comments about the show, send an email to eric at roundtripdeath .com. Until then, I wish you everything good that you're looking for in this life and the next.