TO HEAVEN AND BACK - WITH A MESSAGE OF HOPE AND LOVE

This story is so incredible and so inspiring that I would never forgive myself if I did not share it here.

Here is Anita's story in her own words. You can read more at Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) started by Dr Jeffrey Long, an oncologist. Honestly, I never knew such a website existed till now.

Anita's story

I had end stage cancer (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma), and was being cared for at home. I was connected to an oxygen tank, and had a full time nurse. But on this morning, February 2nd 2006, I did not wake up. I had fallen into a coma.  My husband called my doctor who said I needed to be rushed to hospital.  The senior oncologist looked at me and told my husband that it was now the end, and that my organs were now shutting down.  I would probably not make it beyond the next 36 hours.  However, the oncologist said he would do whatever he could but prepared my husband that I would most likely not make it, as my organs were no longer functioning.  They determined this because my body started to swell up, and I had open skin lesions. They started me on a cocktail of medication on a drip, and poked me with tubes and pipes for nourishment, drugs and oxygen.

I thought that I was drifting in and out of consciousness during this time, because I was aware of everything that was going on around me. But it was confirmed to me later by my family and the doctors that I was in a coma the whole time. I saw and heard the conversations between my husband and the doctors taking place outside my room, about 40 feet away down a hallway. I was later able to verify this conversation to my shocked husband.  Then I actually “crossed over” to another dimension, where I was engulfed in a total feeling of love.  

I also experienced extreme clarity of why I had the cancer, why I had come into this life in the first place, what role everyone in my family played in my life in the grand scheme of things, and generally how life works.  The clarity and understanding I obtained in this state is almost indescribable.  Words seem to limit the experience – I was at a place where I understood how much more there is than what we are able to conceive in our 3-dimensional world.  I realized what a gift life was, and that I was surrounded by loving spiritual beings, who were always around me even when I did not know it.

The amount of love I felt was overwhelming, and from this perspective, I knew how powerful I am, and saw the amazing possibilities we as humans are capable of achieving during a physical life.  I found out that my purpose now would be to live “heaven on earth” using this new understanding, and also to share this knowledge with other people.  However I had the choice of whether to come back into life, or go towards death. 

I was made to understand that it was not my time, but I always had the choice, and if I chose death, I would not be experiencing a lot of the gifts that the rest of my life still held in store.  At first, I did not want to come back, because my body was very sick, and I did not want to come back into this body as the organs had already stopped functioning and I had all these open skin lesions. But it seemed that almost immediately, I became aware that if I chose life, my body would heal very quickly.  I would see a difference in not months or weeks, but days!

I then started to understand how illnesses start on an energetic level before they become physical.  If I chose to go into life, the cancer would be gone from my energy, and my physical body would catch up very quickly.  I then understood that when people have medical treatments for illnesses, it rids the illness only from their body but not from their energy so the illness returns.  

I realized if I went back, it would be with a very healthy energy.  Then the physical body would catch up to the energetic conditions very quickly and permanently.  I seemed to become aware that this applies to anything, not only illnesses – physical conditions, psychological conditions, etc.  I became aware that everything going on in our lives was dependant on this energy around us, created by us.  Nothing was real – we created our surroundings, our conditions, etc. depending where this “energy” was at.  The clarity I felt around how we get what we do was phenomenal!  It’s all about where we are energetically.  I somehow knew that I was going to see “proof” of this first hand if I returned back to my body.

It felt as though I was drifting in and out between the two worlds, this physical world and the other side, but every time I drifted into the “other side”, I seemed to go deeper and experienced more “scenes”.  There was one where I saw how my life had touched all the people in it – it was sort of like a tapestry and I saw how I affected everyone’s lives around me.  

There was another scene where I saw my brother on a plane, having heard the news I was dying, coming to see me (this was verified to me as when I started to come round, my brother was there, having just got off a plane).  I then saw a glimpse of my brother and me and somehow seemed to understand it was a previous life, where I was much older than him and was like a mother to him (in this life, he is older than me).  I saw in that life I was very protective towards him.  I suddenly became aware he was on the plane to come and see me, and felt “I can’t do this to him – can’t let him come and see me dead”.  Then I also saw how my husband’s purpose was linked to mine, and how we had decided to come and experience this life together.  If I went, he would probably follow soon after.

In addition, I seemed to understand that, as tests had been taken for my organ functions (and the results were not out yet), that if I chose life, the results would show that my organs were functioning normally.  If I chose death, the results would show organ failure as the cause of death, due to cancer.  I was able to change the outcome of the tests by my choice!

I made my choice, and as I started to wake up (in a very confused state, as I could not at that time tell which side of the veil I was on),  the doctors came rushing into the room with big smiles on their faces saying to my family “Good news – we got the results and her organs are functioning – we can’t believe it!!  Her body really did seem like it had shut down!”

After that, I began to recover rapidly.  The doctors had been waiting for me to become stable before doing a lymph node biopsy to track the type of cancer cells, and they could not even find a lymph node big enough to suggest cancer (upon entering the hospital my body was filled with swollen lymph nodes and tumors the size of lemons, from the base of my skull all the way to my lower abdomen).  They did a bone marrow biopsy, again to find the cancer activity so they could adjust the chemotherapy according to the disease, and there wasn’t any in the bone marrow.  

The doctors were very confused, but put it down to me suddenly responding to the chemo. Because they themselves were unable to understand what was going on, they made me undergo test after test, all of which I passed with flying colors, and clearing every test empowered me even more!  I had a full body scan, and because they could not find anything, they made the radiologist repeat it again!!!!

Because of my experience, I am now sharing with everyone I know that miracles are possible in your life every day.  After what I have seen, I realize that absolutely anything is possible, and that we did not come here to suffer.  Life is supposed to be great, and we are very, very loved.  The way I look at life has changed dramatically, and I am so glad to have been given a second chance to experience “heaven on earth”.

Anita is now travelling to cities around the world to spread her message of hope and love. If you have the time, you might want to view this video of Anita's talk in Sedona just two weeks ago.



If you would rather watch a shorter video, do check out the excellent interview on ANC, Philippines' only 24-hour cable news network. Please share.

HANDY TIPS FOR THE HOME

It's Sunday, and if you feel in the mood to potter around the house, try out some of these handy tips below sourced from the internet. I found some of them really useful.

CUTTING EDGE OPERATING ROOM OF THE FUTURE

A standing ovation and a big round of applause to the teams of scientists, engineers and doctors who have worked hard in the labs so that we can all reap the benefits of their years of grueling research and toil. The latest medical breakthrough to share here comes from Technion -  Israel's Institute of Technology.

Imagine a future where non-invasive surgery breaks new boundaries. Doctors would be able to treat cancer patients without cutting up their body, and administer high toxicity drug treatment to targeted tumors without damaging the rest of the body. The devastating side effects of current chemotherapy and radiation treatment would be a thing of the past. The patient's quality of life would not be affected.



Patients would no longer need to spend weeks in rehabilitation or recuperation. Imagine going into the operation room for a hysterectomy and be able to return to work the next day. Or in the case of Parkinson's Disease, regaining control of all your motor movements immediately after the treatment. A brain clot? No big deal. The clot would be liquefied for the blood to reflow in the brain after a matter of a few hours.

Science fiction? Not according to this hit counter on Insightec website. Close to 1000 treatments have already been performed to date. That number is bound to grow exponentially as treatment becomes more affordable and available. Insightec pioneered the innovative surgery that uses high intensity focused ultrasound waves guided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to treat targeted parts of the body.

For those who would like to know how this technology began, and how treatment is administered, including testimony from a volunteer patient, please view this video. I found it most educational and absolutely fascinating.



Removal of kidney stones and cataracts are routinely performed nowadays using this non-invasive surgery. When this technology is extended to other types of surgeries, that would be a dream come true, a prayer answered for millions of patients around the world. If only this technology had been available in Malaysia and Singapore years ago, I wouldn't have had to go under the knife, not once, but twice.

EAT FISH TO ENJOY LONGER LIFE

No wonder Japan has the largest number of super

centenarians in the world! Fish is a staple in their diet.

Did you know that eating fish can add years to your life? That's what researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found out when they carried out a study involving 2,700 adults aged 65 or older. The study was based on data collected over a span of 16 years. None of the respondents had ever taken fish oil supplements prior to the study.

This is good news for folks like me who have replaced meat in our diet with fish in transiting to a vegetarian diet. Extending your life span by an average of 2.2 years may not seem like a big deal, but if you think in terms of being around to enjoy another 30 months of a good life and being able to spend more time with your loved ones, even an extra one year is something to cherish.

In Malaysia's hot weather, frozen fish keeps better. Not everyone can afford
to eat cod, salmon or mackerel twice a week given the high prices. 

A much cheaper alternative - canned sardines

Fish such as salmon, tuna, halibut, sardines, herring and mackerel, have the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids which help to lower the risk of heart disease by as much as 35 per cent. According to Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate professor at the department of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health who heads the study, a modest intake of two servings of fatty fish can make a difference in extending the remaining years of life. 

The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday. You can read a write-up of it in the Harvard Gazette.

Other studies also recommend trout, cod and anchovies.

Despite the known benefits of fatty acids present in fish, many people avoid seafood because of the fear of mercury contamination and other toxins that may be found in fish.

To know more about the risks of eating fish and other seafood, do read this excellent article FISH: FRIEND OR FOE published in Harvard School of Public Health website.

AGEING DRIVERS, KNOW WHEN TO HANG UP YOUR CAR KEYS FOR GOOD

Click here to read more about elderly drivers

To get a driving license in Malaysia, you have to be 17 years old and in Singapore, it's 18. Is there an upper age limit beyond which elderly drivers would not be able to renew their driving license?

Apparently, no. You can drive till you decide you want to stop, or till your family takes away your car keys as they consider you a safety hazard not only to other road users but also to yourself. Believe it or not, in the US, there are drivers who are well into their 80s and 90s, and driving around confidently. They are not about to surrender their car keys yet.

When you have been driving for the past 40 or more years, it is a tough decision to voluntarily give it up and depend on others to get around. But would you have the physical capability and mental alertness to continue driving? How quick are your reflexes on the road? What about your spouse and your grandchildren who are your most frequent passengers? Would they be safe with you at the steering wheel?

In Singapore, there is an age limit for taxi drivers. Over the past years, this limit has been raised from 70 to the current 75. They have to undergo tests before they can renew their driving license. This is to ensure they don't put themselves and their passengers at risk, and be able to respond quickly should anything untoward happen on the road.

Whether it's driving taxis, buses or trucks, raising the age limit allows these drivers to continue supporting themselves financially and not be a burden to their families. For retirees, being able to drive yourself anywhere you want to go gives you a sense of freedom and independence, not to mention convenience.

But if you have had a few close calls on the road of late, you might want to think twice when it comes time to renew your driving license.

Related post

Are ageing drivers a hazard on the road?

WHY GRAY DIVORCES ARE ON THE RISE

Click here to read full article

Yesterday's Sunday Star carried this article "Going separate ways...after 50". Divorces among baby boomers are the fastest growing of all divorces recorded in the US, according to a Wall Street Journal report. While we do not have statistics available for gray divorces in Malaysia, it is evident from the high profile cases reported in the local papers, and also from within our circle of friends that older women here no longer fear the 'D' word.

It's happening in Korea too. Click here to read.

Unlike their mothers many of whom went through arranged marriages and doggedly clung to the social norms of their time, the older women of today have no qualms about filing for divorce if they want to get out of their marriage, if they feel it beyond saving.

But why now at this late stage in life, and not earlier? Here are some reasons often cited to explain why some women see no hope in saving a marriage that may have started off in heaven with the exchange of vows to love each other through thick and thin, but that has since quickly descended into marital hell.

• Children always come first. When the children are young, most women would patiently put up with any spousal incompatibility or infidelity, bidding their time till all the children have grown up and are independent.

• With education and professional qualifications, women are no longer solely dependent on their husband for financial support. They have their own source of income. Many have enough savings put aside for the future while others may enjoy a regular allowance from their adult children.

• Asian societies have generally become more open to divorces. Divorcees and single mothers are no longer stigmatized by family and friends. Children have become more accepting of their parents' divorce.

• Older women now see divorce as a release from years of long-suffering in an unhappy marriage. Some are prepared to walk away from a divorce empty-handed rather than enter their golden years battling marital woes, or worse, domestic violence.

• If it's the man who initiates the divorce, it's usually because of another woman who has re-kindled the spark of passion in him. Few men would want to divorce their wives who have brought up the children and provided them with all the comforts of home. Even if these men have lost physical and emotional interest in their wives over the years, they would still want to remain married. 

Suzanne, 88, and Tony, 90 - an inspiration
to married couples everywhere. Click here
to visit their very interesting blog.

However, having said that, I also know of couples who have enjoyed marital bliss from their wedding day till the present day. These are truly marriages made in heaven, that no one and nothing can break asunder. These are rock solid marriages, not marriages on the rocks. These happily married couples would be the first to tell you that it takes a lot of 'give-and-take' to make a marriage work. 

It is a milestone, an enviable achievement for couples to be able to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary together. 

One word of caution though, while many may see divorce as breaking free from an unhappy marriage, they must guard against potential loneliness. It can be equally depressing having to face the sunset years all alone without a partner. It can also be scary to face old age alone with all its accompanying aches and pains. Unless you are still in good health, no one relishes the thought of growing old alone and lonely. Don't count on your adult children to look after you or share their home with you. Filial piety cannot be taken for granted these days.

So, divorcees, maintain your social connections and widen your circle of friends. And be open to the possibility of a new person in your life. You never know!

Blessed are couples who have each other "to have and to hold till death do us part".

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