(OPINION) Lisa Small, a 41-year-old waitress from Belleview, Florida, has recounted extraordinary visions she experienced during two near-death episodes in 2008, when she was 24.

According to the Daily Mail, these incidents, which occurred during a period of severe drug and alcohol addiction, involved moments of clinical death due to respiratory arrest.

In 2008, Ms. Small was grappling with addiction, spending approximately $150 daily on substances.

During a cocaine binge, she collapsed and ceased breathing, though her eyes remained open, as reported by her then-boyfriend. He performed CPR for approximately 40 seconds, reviving her.

Later that night, a second collapse prompted her to seek medical attention. Doctors diagnosed respiratory arrest, a critical condition where breathing halts while the heart continues to beat.

Without prompt intervention, this can lead to brain damage or cardiac arrest.

Respiratory arrest is a life-threatening emergency with a low survival rate. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, analyzing 517 patients, found that 59.6% were successfully resuscitated in hospital, but only 26.9% were discharged.

Survival rates dropped to 24.3% after one year and 15.9% after five years. Remarkably, Ms. Small survived without long-term complications, describing herself as “a phoenix out of the ashes.”

Ms. Small’s account of her near-death experiences aligns with phenomena that have intrigued medical professionals and the public for decades.

These events, often reported by individuals who are clinically dead or near death, involve vivid perceptions of an afterlife. Ms. Small described both episodes identically:

“I stopped breathing and collapsed. Suddenly, I was in a vast open field with a tree beside me and a figure in white cloth nearby. Miles away, I sensed a sea of people—unseen but familiar. An overwhelming sense of euphoria, beyond description, enveloped me.”

Her boyfriend noted that her eyes remained open during the episodes, suggesting the experiences were not dreams. Ms. Small emphasized the consistency of the visions, returning to the same scene during her second collapse.

Despite surviving these incidents, Ms. Small’s journey to sobriety was prolonged. She faced homelessness and multiple arrests before achieving sobriety in 2018. Reflecting on her survival, she expressed gratitude:

“I’m deeply thankful to be among the few who made it through. My path was headed toward destruction, but I feel reborn, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.”