Nurse Julia Evans, who suffered a near-fatal allergic reaction in 2018, has revealed that during her cardiac arrest she relived the deaths of people close to her. The Canadian nurse's heart stopped after she was given an overdose of epinephrine, 10 times the intended dose, while being treated for anaphylactic shock triggered by lily pollen at the hospital where she worked.
Allergic Reaction to Lilies
Julia, who knew she was allergic to lilies, began to feel her throat become "scratchy" shortly after arriving for her shift. She described the sensation as "sandpaper" when swallowing. Seeing a bouquet of lilies at the nursing station, she inhaled pollen, which triggered a severe anaphylactic reaction. She recalled thinking, "I'm drowning in air," as her throat tightened and she turned blue.
Medical Error and Cardiac Arrest
A doctor administered epinephrine, but it was later discovered that the dose was 10 times stronger than intended. The overdose caused Julia's heart to race uncontrollably, leading to cardiac arrest. She described feeling like "The Hulk" as the drug surged through her body. During the ordeal, she went into pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VTAC), and her heart effectively "exploded" due to the medication overload.
Reliving Others' Deaths
While fighting for her life, Julia experienced the deaths of loved ones. She felt how her best friend had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, describing it as "the back of my head had blown away." She also felt the drowning and heart attack of her stepmother, who had died in her arms years earlier in Mexico, and the brain aneurysm of her biological mother, who died in 1983. Julia said, "I didn't realise at the time it was their pain that I was feeling."
Out-of-Body Experience and the Light
Julia described an out-of-body experience where she hovered about two feet above her body, screaming in her mind, "I would come back if I could." She entered a realm where "your belief systems, your senses, your body are pixelated away." In this place, she heard her biological mother speaking to her as if standing beside her. She saw a peaceful light that felt like home and sensed every person who had passed away before her. "There was so much love within that moment that I was gifted the greatest gift, and that's that self-love," she said.
Recovery and Reflection
After colleagues administered life-saving efforts, Julia regained consciousness. She joked with coworkers, saying, "Well, I think I'm going to take the day off." She only fully came to terms with the experience years later, realizing she had actually seen the light and felt her mother. Julia shared her story on the Jeff Mara Podcast, describing the ordeal as terrifying but ultimately transformative.
