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This has been really wild reading all of your experiences around brushes with death. It's so easy to assume that in our busy little worlds, we (individually) are alone in these types of experiences, but it turns out nothing could be further from the truth. It would appear that we are, all of us, always on some delicate precipice, so it makes perfect sense to celebrate our aliveness! What a precious and miraculous thing it is to be incarnate; but not just alive, but awake and observing this process. Thank you all so much, and greetings from Memphis, TN.

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I had a near death experience in September 2014. I was living in an Austin-area suburb with my grandparents, just graduated college, and was trying out my “career path” in the ATX area (I’m from WA state). Funny enough, or strangely, earlier that day I stumbled upon pics of seeing Incubus at the Gorge in 2007 and had posted a photo of it to my Instagram (9/21/2014), the concert was actually in August 2007 though. Later that night, I was driving back to my grandparents home after a long day of work and post-work with friends when I fell asleep. I fell asleep and then woke up as my car tires were hitting the sleep strips (in the opposite lane) on a curve and my car flew into a ditch at 60+mph. The whole crash itself was like in slow motion, the most noticeable things to me in this slowed-down moment of time was my sense of smell. The smell of the airbags being deployed, the smell of the grass and the dirt flying in and hitting me as the windshield glass was also splintering and hitting my face. I honestly was thinking I was going to be impaled and killed, but thankfully I survived with just a scratch on my nose. I’m not religious by any means, but it really changed my outlook on life and I TRULY feel like it gave me the butt-kicking I needed to realize not to take life for granted.

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founding

My mom saved me from choking when I was 4 years old! Although she was a nurse, instead of performing the Heimlich she shoved her finger down my throat to dislodge the shiny red, hard berry I plucked off a bush to eat. I, of course, bit down on her boney finger even though I was blue in the face from lack of oxygen. This would dictate our mother/daughter relationship moving forward. :\

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Thank goodness for the fast reaction time of your mother! I am quite curious if you have any aversion to Werther’s now. Something similar happened to me when I was 4, except it involved a Vicks cough drop and monkey bars… a bad combo!

Now this NDE is pretty heavy and it happened to my parents, but it is truly a remarkable story of survival and profound miracles. My parents are from Vietnam and following the end of the Vietnam War, they risked their lives by fleeing their war-ravaged country via boat in order to obtain a better life for themselves and their future family. They are known as the “Vietnamese Boat People.” My parents were only 22 and 23 years old at the time and my mother was about 7 months pregnant with my brother. My parents, along with about 150 other refugees were packed like sardines in a makeshift two-level fisherman’s boat that was to take them across the South China Sea to a refugee camp in Hong Kong. The conditions were perilous as they travelled across dangerous waters for weeks and ended up running out of food and water. All the men stayed on the bottom level of the boat, whereas all of the women and children stayed on the top level since the conditions above where more favourable due to the horrendous conditions they had to travel in. My mom said the boat was so overcrowded that you could not even lay down to rest at any point. There was only enough room to sit in one spot. Since there were no washrooms, no bathing, and many people experiencing sea sickness, you can only imagine the horrible stench. People were sick, starving and in extreme distress. My mom, being pregnant with her first child was especially terrified.

At one point during their travels the tides became very turbulent. Their boat started getting pulled into the direction of a large forceful whirlpool. Everyone was terrified as they knew that being pulled into the whirlpool would result in their death. My maternal grandma was on the boat as well and as soon as she saw the whirlpool she told everyone to pray. Everyone got on their knees and started praying to the Buddha. My mom said it felt like life was flashing before her eyes as she begged and pleaded that their boat be saved. All of a sudden… out of nowhere a huge whale appeared in the water. It swam under them and literally carried their boat on its back and pulled them out of the whirlpool’s path. Everyone could not believe their eyes. The whale carried them to the nearest shore where a group of fishermen were able to spot them and pull them onto land. The whale had disappeared soon after that. The fisherman told them that they were lucky to have reached the shore as there were hurricane conditions and other boats that tried to make the journey did not survive.

It is truly a miracle that my parents are alive. My mom went into early labour in Hong Kong due to the stress of their travels but my brother despite being 2 months premature was fine. My parents then ended up immigrating to Canada and I was born 3 years later. Intergenerational trauma is real as I always wondered why I had reoccurring nightmares about huge tidal waves and whirlpools as a child and now I know why. Due to the trauma, my parents only told me the specifics of this story a few years ago. This story is a remarkable example of how there is SO much unseen support that is around us all the time. After this experience, my parent’s faith in a higher power was certainly solidified. I have had my own brushes with death and the only explanation I have for why I am still here is that non-human forces were there to assist me. I also have to mention that since hearing my parent’s story about the whale that saved them, I am reminded of the miracle that happened that day every time I hear the beginning of ‘The Warmth.’ I’m curious what inspired you guys to incorporate whale sounds into the song?

Thanks for reading.

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That was funny and educational at the same time. 😆

Speaking of near death moments: I once fell into a car pit in my dad's garage. This happened because a) for whatever reason it wasn't covered and b) I had this weird idea to admire all the tools and get a better view of everything by going backwards(!!).

I was about 7 or 8 at the time and landed on my belly. I could hardly breathe and crying for help felt like yelling under water.

Fortunately, my dad found me and as it turned out, no single bone was broken. Lesson learned: don't go backwards 😬

Now this might not be the place...but currently I keep repeatedly singing/humming "state of the art"...such a nice song.

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Okay this post is Stellar

The infographic with who got Heimlich 😂 awesomeness

And are you teasing us that maybe your making a divination deck because the death card is awesome sauce for real.

Near death and Covid locked down mortality funks really had me. Giving birth to my last and only girl. She was born on New Year’s Eve 2018 at 11:11

I was not in distress and all the nurse had decided my baby will be the hospitals New Years baby but she had another idea. Her heart rate keep dropping so the rushed me for now an emergency C-section. With the doctor literally running down the hall to get to us. My scar is a constant reminder because it’s a crock smile with the doctors not caring of vanity but to get my child out safely. In two minutes she pops out perfect with no stress and a 8 apgar score (highest is a ten). As I am rallying for her and talking to her to much my heart rate drops and my oxygen goes dangerously low. All I can think not fing today and I was blessed with the best dark humor anesthesiologist who kept telling me. You got to be fight because you’re husband doesn’t look like he can nothing without you especially your mini. After what seem like forever (5minutes actually) I am right as rain. Since then I have taken it as a wake up call to live to the fullest. Even well planned events can cause your life so live strong and happy. Divorced (okay technically not officially divorced because thousands of Los Angeles residents had the same idea) my husband and surviving the pandemic as a single momprenuer of three with a smile. No more watching my life pass me by. Thank you Mr B for making me remember I have come a long way. Sorry long haha

🙏🏽❤️🧜🏼‍♀️

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NDE are very strange to say the least. Sorry to hear about what happened to you in the movie theater it is super scary especially when you are a young child. Those little flecks of sparkling light you mentioned well, after those comes the gray that slowly turns into the light at the end of the tunnel. Do you still sometimes see those little flecks of light? I still do.

Glad that the universe still needs you here on this planet!! Enjoy your weekend!

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I experienced a very similar incident. Circa 1977 -7 year old me .Dancing around the living room to beat of my own drum (with a butterscotch candy in my mouth) while my parents relaxed on the sofa. It all transpired fairly quickly. My dad was a medic in the navy. He noticed right away as i froze unable to breathe. It was all so fast. His Heimlich was so on point …one thrust the butterscotch candy flew across the room with projective vomit to follow. I still have love for butterscotch, but never will dance along with it simultaneously ever again. Fond memories of the 70s 😀

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Mar 28, 2022·edited Mar 30, 2022

I'm not sure if it is a NDE but....I suffer from a seizure disorder that is exacerbated by a heart condition called Low Q T Syndrome. Enough of the medical jargon. I was awoken one night by a painful and terrifying thud/punch feeling in my chest. It's that kind of feeling you get when the wind gets knocked out of you but higher where your heart is. I immediately went for a glass of water and a heart pill. My first thought was "well this is how I go" in the middle of the night while my wife and daughter are asleep. It's a terrifying thought I know. I tried to go back to sleep focusing on my breath in-hold-out-hold and so on and so forth. This woke my wife up. She is aware of my condition and helps by rubbing my back and head until the adrenaline and cortisol stops flooding my system. At this point my heart was beating at 198 BPM ( beats per minute). With closed eyes I felt as if I was traveling inside my body zipping through my arteries and coming to a halt right outside my heart. The visual was akin to a psychedelic experience extremely familiar but not a peaceful perception. Everything was organic and lack of hydration if that makes any sense. I had the impression of falling and shrinking at the same time. My thought was again "This is how I go" but I felt as if I had to power to let go. Like it was a choice, but if I let go what would happen to my family? How would they feel? I fought it. Not wanting my daughter to grow up without a father was my driving force to resist as much as possible. Then I woke up 3 hours later. I was in a daze all day, pondering what happend to me. I still feel as if it was a near death experience but there is probably some scientific/medical answer for this dilemma. I'm interested if anyone has had an experience similar to mine. That's my story. Terrifying and beautiful all at the same time.

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God bless your mother for many things including saving your life this day! Fucking Werther’s Original Child Killer Candy -Hahahaha! I had a similar experience as a child of the 80’s as well. I will never forget it to this day. It’s crazy to think the things that we remember from our young childhood as grown adults. Sometimes I can’t even remember what I ate for dinner the night before.

I was sitting at my dining room table at about the age of five. Sesame Street was on and there was a Muppet with one of those red and white mint candies in her hand. Similar to your child killer Werther‘s original! Well, I had a plate of green grapes in front of me for a snack. This Muppet girl cute and innocent with the little ribbons in her hair had put the mint in her mouth and told us all how yummy it was. Then there was a giant gulp sound. The sound was to emphasize her swallowing this mint which made absolutely no sense in hindsight. Who knows I could even be remembering this completely wrong. Well I decided I wanted to hear the same cool sound so I tried it with my grapes. I had lodged one down my throat couldn’t breathe and heard my mother freaking out from the other room as she came to my rescue. My mom wasn’t as lucky as yours… She told me in later years that I had nearly turned blue. There was a police officer driving by our house and she shouted to him with me in her arms and I’m about to pass out. I actually remember everything turning black. The hospital was right up the road from our house where we lived and the cop drove us there. I don’t remember a darn thing until I woke up with a doctor over me. Never look at grapes the same and I don’t eat them the same! I love fruits and veggies so I can’t give them up but I eat them like a total weirdo now. I take bites from them haha. 🤦🏼‍♀️🍇 I was also so scared of a few movies too during this time and it’s hilarious to me now because they are great movies total classics. The first was ET which I went to go see at the drive-ins with my dad. The moment ET popped out of the field and his neck went up and down as he made a weird sound, I screamed so loud at the top of my lungs. I was terrified and could not stop crying. My dad had to leave the drive ins. I was also terrified of the witch who gave Snow White the apple as well as the bad witch on The Wizard of Oz. Now today, all three of these movies I could watch over and over again. I love them! I especially love Drew Barrymore - she is absolutely by far my favor Female actress. As a fan of hers I always thought to myself she should make a cookbook and have A talk show. … and now she does. I was lucky enough to be at one of her shows when it first came out during COVID when she had her audience on a big screen. It was kinda neat to see us behind her on the show set. …..but I was totally disappointed cuz she didn’t even say hi to us :( Boo. Well Brandon, as my all time favorite basically everything, you didn’t disappoint when I met you at the NYC book signing for So the Echo! You put your arm around me and drew little hearts all around my name “To Tammy, From Brandon” Cue in my la la land and inability to speak. Ahhh so glad your mama saved you from that killer candy haha! 🍬

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You never cease to amaze me with your detail perfect memories. Covid certainly has brought up those thoughts of mortality so much lately, it’s like before we thought we were immune, or even invincible to the idea of being wiped out by a virus. We sometimes don’t stop and think about how lucky we are to be living and breathing still in this universe.

I think my most recent experience was when I was driving back from work in my Dodge Challenger. Now this road is curved going down a hill and extremely tight as you drive down and this other vehicle must have obviously not been paying any attention to the road and was in the opposite lane, driving head on at me, I felt an overwhelming horror of adrenaline as I swerved to the right to get away and the vehicle kept on going, first almost hitting me head on and then, missing me by mere inches, almost side swiped me when carrying on past me. Did not even stop. I came to a stop as I was freaked out and needed to catch my breath. Ironically enough, it was the reason it took me so long to get my driver’s license in the first place. I was terrified of being in an accident and yet, here I am. I have also been in a wreck with a deer that went underneath the car and had someone rear end me in the drive through. I sometimes wonder how I still have the courage to drive! However I need to for my work commute, but still, the fear is always there. You just never know what is going to happen any given day and we should be grateful to be alive and never take anything for granted.

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I nearly died heaps of times. I had a boyfriend who strangled me once and I nearly got deaded by him. Your story is crap. But you already knew that.

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My brush with death was surviving a rollover car accident in 2012. None of us can truly remember how it happened for sure, but I remember us going down a freeway (we were in California returning to Washington from a road trip), the car swerving once, and then swerving again and rolling off the road. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, I screamed for a while but then something inside me told me I shouldn't...I don't know why. But I stopped. We were lucky that police officers saw what happened and called 911 because we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

The next few days were spent in and out of the hospital...my mom, my sister and I. I was lucky enough to only get cuts on my hands and some bruises. My mom was injured the worst though and it took months for her to recover enough to go back to normal. Doctors' appointments, distantly related family coming over and constantly trying to help with things, many of us getting angry and yelling because of how stressed we were, it was the most traumatic period of my life. That happened ten years ago but I still carry some of the scars, I haven't been able to get my drivers' license and sharp turns still make me freeze up or scream.

But I'm alive. My sister and my mom are still alive. And I'm grateful for that.

One of the last and most important things I remember is that when the accident happened, I was wearing a lapis lazuli ring I got from a very nice Navajo woman who was selling jewelry. Even after the shattering glass, everything we owned being thrown around, dirt flying and our heads and sides hitting the roof and sides as the car rolled...that ring was just fine. Not a scratch or a dent. Not even any of the red rocky desert dust made it onto there.

Since then I've kept it as a talisman of sorts. Normally I'm not very superstitious but ever since then I've felt like something about that beautiful ring was somehow lucky or magical.

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I, too, have suffered a similar plight. With a strawberry cremesaver. A delicious brush with death.

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Well after reading your childhood story it makes me think of my first asthma attack when I was 4 years old. My parents took me and my brother to the pumpkin patch in the fall and they didn't know I had asthma yet and didn't know I was allergic to hay. Of course there was a hay ride and also a hay barn with swinging ropes and just a bunch of hay for the kids to jump in. On the car ride home I started wheezing and my parents didn't know what was wrong. That led to a trip to the ER and a week in the hospital. So I think that has given me sort of a sense of mortality my whole life, just knowing without an inhaler around I could potentially be a goner at any time really. I will say when the pandemic first started I was very concerned due to being asthmatic and it actually made me make a will to make sure everything goes to my stepdaughters. I had been planning to do that for a few years and the pandemic pushed me to get it done.

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I’m grateful you’re still here! Thankfully you have so much support and Love to get you through.

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