Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Since the dawn of time, this question seems to obsess the human being. Indeed, this moment is all the more worrying, because he is unknown. This has therefore prompted researchers to take an interest in it. since many years.
For this, they relied in particular on testimonials from people who saw what death looked like. Some individuals, dead for a few moments, ended up being resuscitated. This phenomenon is called the “near-death experience”. Thousands of testimonials are collected each year in order to advance scientific knowledge, and a new one is added to this long list. This is Kevin Hill, a 55-year-old Briton, has a rare disease called calciphylaxis.
Contrary to numerous testimonies which evoke a white light, the 50-year-old claims to have seen nothing like it. Medisite looks back on its experience.
Calcifying uraemic arteriopathy or calciphylaxie is a rare but fatal disease associated with chronic kidney failure. In this pathology calcium accumulates in the small blood vessels of fatty tissue and skin. Thus, calciphylaxis causes blood clots, painful skin ulcers and may cause serious infections that can lead to death.
Chances of survival are low for this disease. According to a 2018 study, published in the Swiss Medical Journal: “Mortality is very high, reaching 60-80% at 1 year“. Thus, it is important to detect the disease early so that we can treat it betterand increase the chances of survival.
Calciphylaxis: “I had the disease for months”
Due to a heart valve problem, Kevin Hill had to undergo a heart operation in January 2022. After the operation, the 50-year-old begins to water retention in the legs. He remains hospitalized for a year at the Derby Royal Hospital, where he continues to take his treatment. After this year, he lost almost 65 kg of water weight. Renal failure being a risk factor for calciphylaxis, Kevin Hill ended up developing one.
He explains to the British media the daily mail: “I had the disease for months. My skin was eating away at me. For three days my legs were bleeding and it didn’t stop“. As the writer explains, his heart then stopped, leaving him technically dead for a few minutesafter losing almost 5 liters of blood.
Near-death experience: “There was no light to go to”
During those few minutes when he was considered dead, Kevin Hill claims to have seen his body deteriorate. “I knew I was bleeding. I knew it was serious. Staff kept coming in and out to stop the bleeding,” he explains.
He adds : “I knew I was dead. I was separated from my body. It was as if I was in the spirit realm. I was aware of what was happening. There was no light to go to, but I felt an inner peace, I was peaceful“, confides the fiftieth.
He adds: “Then I fell asleep and woke upalive and the bleeding had stopped. I knew it wasn’t my time to die“. Indeed, he ends up being resuscitated and, following this exceptional event, is considered as “the miracle man“, by hospital staff.
Today, the Brit is fully recovered and back home with his wife. “I am in the final stages of recovery. In my right leg I still have a little pain, but it’s not at the level that I suffered, otherwise I would cry for hours. Previously, my pain level was 100 out of 10 and now it’s down to four. Everyone said I should be dead,” he shares.
The man concludes by explaining that this experience allowed him to refocus on your priorities “When I got out of the hospital, my family atmosphere changed dramatically. I have become more resilient“.