A woman who was clinically dead during pregnancy has revealed that her near-death experience completely changed her perspective on dying, leading her to believe that death does not exist but rather leads to another "plane of existence."
Marta Zacharia was 26 years old and pregnant when her heart stopped during surgery, causing her to be clinically dead for a period. Nearly 50 years later, she has shared her ordeal and the insight it gave her into life and what may come after.
No Fear of Death
Speaking to the publication Clarin, Marta expressed that she feels no fear about what comes next, stating: "I am convinced that what comes next is far better than this life, based on what I felt....I don't want to die right now because I want to watch my grandchildren grow up and enjoy their company; I am human, after all. But I'm not afraid of death."
She added: "The body is just a case, a vessel. Let the wind take me, because I don't believe in death. I am convinced there is another plane of existence, that it doesn't end. When does it end? I don't know."
The Experience
Marta recalled that while pregnant, she "fell into the hands of some quack surgeon who told me I needed to have uterine surgery." After the first surgery revealed an issue with her cervix, a second surgery was necessary. It was during that second procedure that she suffered a cardiac arrest, requiring resuscitation and leaving her clinically dead at one point.
Describing the experience, she said: "Suddenly, I left my body and was looking down at it on the operating table. Then I entered a tunnel at incredible speed and saw a light." She woke up in the room with her husband holding her hand, and she told him she had "dreamed of Saint Peter."
Life-Changing Decision
Following her surgery, Marta made the significant decision to adopt a child instead of trying for another pregnancy. Having suffered a miscarriage due to medical malpractice, she wanted to avoid further health risks. She explained: "That's when I told my husband I wouldn't undergo any more treatments. I didn't want to keep taking the risk. I've concluded that God had something in store for me, a purpose. In my case, a little boy who needed me."
Scientific Insight
Marta is among thousands of people who experience near-death experiences each year. These events have provided scientists with insights into the process of dying, rather than life after death. Professor Jimo Borjigin, speaking to the Guardian, noted that researchers are still trying to understand what happens to the mind during death: "What's still beneath the surface is a full account of how dying actually takes place. Because there's something happening in there, in the brain, that makes no sense."
Resuscitation specialist Sam Parnia echoed these thoughts, suggesting that future discoveries could be profound: "I think in 50 or 100 years time we will have discovered the entity that is consciousness. It will be taken for granted that it wasn't produced by the brain, and it doesn't die when you die."
