In Episode 13, Pastor Steve and Pastor Luke discussed near-death experiences (NDEs) and mentioned a friend of the church who had one. This week, that friend — Tammy Manheim — shares her remarkable story firsthand. What began as a routine outpatient surgery turned into 19 days in the hospital, including a week of unconsciousness and two times when she coded. During that time, Tammy experienced perfect peace and pure light, was shown her life as a "tangled pile of string," and was asked three times if she wanted to go back. This is her account in her own words.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction — Meeting Tammy Manheim

• [00:50] Why This Episode? — Following Up on Episode 13's NDE Discussion

• [01:34] The Before: A Routine Surgery That Wasn't

• [02:11] 19 Days in the Hospital, One Week Unconscious

• [02:26] The Conversation About Pulling the Plug

• [03:48] Coding Twice — The Experience Begins

• [03:55] Perfect Peace, Perfect Clarity, Pure Light

• [04:49] No Sense of Time, No Sense of Body

• [05:09] Asked Three Times: "Do You Want to Go Back?"

• [06:08] No Fear, Just Peace and Joy — Holiness and Love Together

• [07:23] The Tangled Pile of String — Tammy's Life Reviewed

• [08:42] Three Times Around — The Choice to Stay or Return

• [09:39] "Then I Had Grandkids" — Told She Had to Go Back

• [10:53] The Miracle — Jenny's Visit and the Turning Point

• [11:15] Waking Up — Telling Her Son Brandon He'd Be a Father

• [12:40] Robert — A Shout-Out to Her "Son-in-Love"

• [15:30] Closing & How to Submit Questions

Connection to Episode 13

In Episode 13, Pastor Luke explained common features of NDEs based on John Burke's research: peace, altered time, encounter with light, life review, a boundary point, and a return. Tammy's experience touches on nearly every one of these — yet sheemphasizes that she didn't share her story for years and only learned about NDE research after the fact.

Connect With Us

Submit your questions at cherryhillsfamily.org/podcast, text"podcast" to 217-546-4818, or use the link in the show notes.

Subscribe, share, and leave a 5-star review!