A nurse has said she "no longer fears death" after claiming she experienced the "afterlife" on the operating table. Candice Purchase discovered she had a hole in her heart after suffering a pulmonary embolism and multiple strokes.
The diagnosis, made when she was 30, required a patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure, a procedure that plugs the opening between the two upper chambers of the heart with a permanent device. Candice had to remain awake during the operation, which led to what she describes as an incredible out-of-body experience.
A bright light and a guiding presence
"As the surgeon went to the main artery of my leg to feed the device up towards my heart, I was in another space in an instance," she recalled, adding that she was shaking with fear.
The mum-of-two told UniLad she was surrounded by the "biggest, brightest white light" she had ever seen and found herself "surrounded by peace and love." "I remember not thinking, not having any fears, thoughts, worries or stresses. I found myself sitting at the bottom of a big presence, and I believe this was my guide," she said.
A spiritual awakening
For Candice, the experience was a spiritual awakening. She claims she physically "felt" things, including a "loose material between her fingers." She elaborated: "I sensed a second presence with him, that I was feeling the bottom of his robe. When I looked at myself it was as if I was a child."
Candice also felt the presence "coming towards the top of her head" before coming round on the operating table with a doctor asking if she was okay. However, when nurses pressed her on what she had gone through, she "couldn't speak" about it, and she did not recount it to others for months, fearing she would not be believed.
A changed outlook and a new career
Now, Candice feels life has a "deeper meaning" and says she "no longer fears death." "It changed a lot about what I thought, and it brought me even closer to my faith," she summarised. "When you pass away, you take nothing with you from the physical life. You are not angry, you're not sad, you're not holding on to anything. You're in a perfect state of peace. And you feel so loved, you feel like you're home."
No longer working as a nurse, Candice has pursued a career in healing and now works as an evidential medium, providing readings to clients.
According to Healthline, an out-of-body experience (OBE) is a sensation of your consciousness leaving your body. These episodes are often reported by people who have had a near-death experience. Some might also describe an OBE as a dissociative episode.
"People typically experience their sense of self inside their physical body," Healthline explains online. "You most likely view the world around you from this vantage point. But during an OBE, you may feel as if you're outside yourself, looking at your body from another perspective."
While experts are unsure what causes such experiences, research studies have identified stress and trauma, medical conditions including epilepsy, migraines and depression, and the use of medication and drugs as the most likely causes.
"OBEs can occur during near-death experiences, often alongside other phenomena like flashbacks of previous memories or seeing a light at the end of a tunnel," Healthline adds. "Though it's not clear exactly why this happens, it's believed to be caused by disruptions in certain areas of the brain involved with processing sensory information."
