Woman who ‘died’ during brain surgery claimed to see something impossible

A woman who was brought to a “near death” state during brain surgery claimed she “floated above a doctor’s shoulder” and watched the procedure she shouldn’t have been able to see. The case of Pam Reynolds Lowery is one of the most thoroughly documented and significant “near death experience” accounts on record.

Christina Randall, a podcaster who has extensively researched the case, explains that Pam had been experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, temporary loss of speech, and bouts of paralysis. A scan revealed a large aneurysm near her brain stem.

Due to the aneurysm’s location, surgery would be highly risky. Christina stated: “As a last resort a neurosurgeon of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona decided that a rarely performed procedure called a standstill operation could improve Pam’s chance of surviving.”

A “standstill operation” effectively brings the patient’s vital signs to a near-death state.

Christina explained: “Pam’s body temperature was lowered to 50° Fahrenheit – or 10° Centigrade – her breathing and her heartbeat completely stopped and the blood was completely drained from her head.”, reports the Mirror.

As part of the routine, Pam’s eyes were taped shut and a headset playing a series of loud clicking sounds was placed over her ears. These sounds, which would have been intensely annoying if Pam had been conscious, allowed the anaesthetist to confirm that there was no activity in the patient’s brain.

But then, during a time she was effectively “dead,” Pam experienced extraordinary phenomena. A musician by trade, she pinpointed a continuous tone resembling a D note, which somehow elevated her consciousness out of her body.

Christina said: “Pam said during this she felt more aware than normal and her vision was more focused and clearer than normal… her senses became so hyper-aware it was as if she had more than five senses.”

In a state of heightened awareness, Pam observed surgeons drilling into her skull. “She was able to see the electric saw that was pulled out to use on her and she described it as looking like an electric toothbrush,” Christina continued.

These vivid observations contributed to the belief that Pam somehow viewed the critical operation externally. Recounting the event, Pam stated: “I was looking down at the body. I knew it was my body but I didn’t care. My vantage point was sort of sitting on the doctor’s shoulder. I remember the instrument in his hand, it looked like the handle of my electric toothbrush.”

She remarked: “I had assumed that they were going to open the skull with a saw. I had heard the term ‘saw’ but what I saw looked a lot more like a drill than a saw – he even had little bits that were kept in this case that looked like the case that my father stored his socket wrenches in when I was a child.”

Pam even recalled the conversations between doctors and nurses during her operation. However, as she calmly observed the procedure, she realised she wasn’t alone.

Christina revealed: “When she tried making out the figures, she realised that it was her grandmother and uncle and other deceased people that she knew.”

Specifically, Pam’s late uncle, who passed away at just 39, seemed to act as a guide. She continued: “My uncle was the one who brought me back down to the body but then I got to where the body was and I looked at the thing and I for sure did not want to get in it.”

Pam described her body as appearing “lifeless’ and said she was reluctant to go back into it.

She added: “I didn’t want to get in but he kept reasoning with me he said ‘It’s like diving into a swimming pool, just jump in.’ He pushed me, he gave me a little help there.”

She likened the sensation of re-entering her body to “jumping into ice-water”. After enduring a seven-hour operation, Pam was taken to recovery. As soon as she regained consciousness, she amazed doctors with her memories of what had transpired while she was technically “dead”.

There have been attempts by sceptics to debunk Pam’s story, suggesting it could be a case of Anaesthesia Awareness – a condition where patients can recall details of surgery despite being under general anaesthetic. However, in Pam’s case, her eyes had been taped shut and her hearing would have been blocked by the loud audio clicks coming from her headphones.

Cardiologist Michael Sabom, however, is convinced that Pam’s case is genuine. He has identified over a hundred instances of anaesthetised or seriously injured individuals having an experience that suggests some sort of life after death.