“To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of the Death, Heaven, Angels and Life Again. A True Story” by Mary C. Neal, M.D. (Colorado Springs: Waterbrook Press, 2011)
Spinal surgeon Mary C. Neal describes several instances of God’s very near presence and critical help in her life, focusing on her death in a South American river boating accident, her experience of heaven, return to her earthly life, and the death of her oldest child.
She tells her story in chronological order but, when recounting her experiences “out of body” she also deals with its “out of time” and “out of common experience” aspects.
Although Mary was a social introvert and child of divorced parents, her good grades and athleticism helped her establish a solid marriage and manage the stresses of medical training. She describes the exhaustion of being a physician as a constant bombardment by “people who wanted a piece of her” (p. 36). For a well-deserved break she and her husband, also an orthopedic surgeon, went with friends to kayak in the rapids of a Chilean river. In a freak accident, she went over a rushing waterfall and her kayak got wedged upright between two boulders pinning her inside and underwater. She described watching the scene from above as her spirit separated from her drowning body in the river and as her friends frantically tried to save her. The author clearly and precisely recounts details of the accident and of her later visit to heaven. She was greeted by souls from the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” whom she felt she had “known from eternity” (p. 140).
She found heaven to be like a beautiful meadow with a soft breeze, golden light, and colors more vibrant than on earth. Within the near presence of kind and loving beings, she sat with Jesus. He comforted her but counseled her that she had to return to her daily life on earth because she was needed to support her family through some challenges ahead, including the upcoming death of her oldest son. Even though she loved her family very much, she felt sad to have to leave heaven and go back to earth.
After her resuscitation on the riverbank, she had a long course of surgeries and recovery, but never lost her sense of God’s near presence. She chose to separate herself from what the typical hard-driving professional wants, “desire for ego, power, and/or money” (p. 39), and to pursue a life balance that prioritized spirituality, family, and health. At first, she resisted telling her “near death” experience because she felt it was very personal and she did not want to deal with the disbelief and mockery she knew she would encounter. But, she finally did feel compelled to write and then did so quickly and smoothly. Soon after, when her firstborn son was killed by a young “distracted driver,” she was able to help her other children and family survive the loss.
With her sense that the distance between heaven and earth is very close, she encourages readers that our purpose on earth is to develop the fruits of the spirit in ourselves or in others. Her key principles are: 1. God’s promises are true, 2. Heaven is real, 3. Nothing can separate us from God’s love, 4. God has work for me to do, and 5. God will see me through whatever I encounter.
Dr. Neal’s more recent book, “7 Lessons from Heaven: How Dying Taught Me to Live a Joy-Filled Life,” offers an equally compelling read, but with a tighter focus on the drowning incident and a clear description of what happens physically/ medically to the human body during drowning.
Cover image used with permission.
Susan Olmstead Wang 