Did my Child have a Near-Death Experience?

QUESTION:

"I am the mother of an ll-year-old daughter that had a near-death experience when she fell into a hot tub when she was two, and nearly drowned. She has no memory of the experience now, but prior to her fall in the water, she was terrified of water, bathing, etc. She was five feet away from me when she fell in. Because of her fear of water, I didn't have to really worry about her getting in, but my attention was distracted when I started tending to my eight-month-old son. During that time she silently fell in. When we realized she was no longer by my side eating her pizza, I turned around and saw her lying face down at the bottom of the hot tub. We jumped in; my friend performed CPR and I ran to find a phone and called 911.

"Afterwards, I grabbed my 10-year-old daughter and we stood away from the apartment pool near some mailboxes. I grabbed her hands and told her we need to PRAY! We prayed to God. We prayed to Mom and Grandmother, who had passed, and prayed that if they see Kelsea to send her back to me! I told God that we have been through too much, and please do not take her from me. About that time, my friend approached me. The ambulance arrived, and he told me Kelsea was breathing!

"I rode in the ambulance with her and was greeted by a Nun at the hospital, who comforted me through the worst event in my life. The doctors where not sure of her prognosis. She was admitted to I.C.U., placed on a ventilater. I never left her side the entire time. After a day and a half she was removed from the ventilater, and calling for me (her mommy). Three days later she was discharged. To the doctors amazement, no pneumonia, no brain damage, etc.

"The first night from the hospital, I put my baby in bed with me and held her. That night she said her FIRST complete sentence (she was two). The sentence was 'Mommy, I came back! Mommy was crying. Tanner was crying, and Kristen was crying.' I told her, 'Honey, I know you did and thank you.' I didn't ask her any more questions after that. I was afraid to know, and now I regret it. Amazingly, after her near-death experience she was no longer afraid of water. To my fear, she would run to any water source, pool, bath, etc.

"Now, nine years later, I have this amazing child. She is so gifted in so many ways. She is charismatic. She was writing all kinds of words at the age of three, reading short stories before she was four. She is in gifted talented Pre-Ap classes at school and a high achiever. She is my God child. She continues to amaze me with her intelligence. Could this be a result of her NDE? I find this amazing. Do you know anyone that can test her IQ? Also, what book do you recommend me to read of yours?"...Kelsea's Mom

ANSWER:

Dear one, young children who have near-death states often do not remember their experience. The way to tell if a child had one is (1) was there an incident where such could have happened? and (2) how well do they match the spread of aftereffects?

A child who cannot remember much or at all, will still exhibit the pattern of aftereffects if indeed they had a near-death experience. There's no stopping the aftereffects. You cannot fake or stop them because they are both physiological and psychological. You may delay onset or call them something else besides what they really are, but they're still there. Of my books, please read "The New Children and Near-Death Experiences." It will tell you what you need to know about your daughter.

One of the most important things you can do now is to inspire your daughter to make her book. I am serious. Have her create a cover and title it. Her book can be construction paper, cardboard for the cover (or poster board), sheets of paper in the middle, maybe tied together with ribbon. Whatever she wants to do, feels called to do, do it; but make a book. Inside the book should be a copy of the newspaper announcement, if there was one, and all the details of the event. Be specific. Then, in the book, your daughter talks about the rest of the story her way. You already have a few words she said at the time. Give these to her. Once she gets in the mood, more words will follow. Then, have her talk about what happened afterward and continues to happen as she grows; how she sees herself, life, her family, school, what she "knows." Books can have poetry or drawings or little stories in them, and blank pages at the back for more to come.

Invite your daughter to make her book.

For parents, make a journal. Keep that journal up-to-date. Put in it your version of what happened, how if affected you, and what you noticed at the time and are still noticing about your daugher and how she is different - as it occurs. When you daughter is grown and has left home, give her your journal. Her book and your journal will be like a miracle in her life. They will be that important!

Please, encourage your daugher. You might send me a photo or two of her and her book. I'd love that. If it is such that it can be copied, I'd like a copy of it. I have a few of them and they are all precious. Each one changed the life of the person who made it. My address is P. O. Box 7691, Charlottsville, VA 22906. --PMH

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The next big conference on the near-death experience will be held October 16-17 near San Diego, California, at the Mission Valley Resort (they have very reasonable prices). Ann Ellis is the Conference Chairperson. You can contact her directly at ellisann@juno.com. For more information about the conference itself, access the IANDS website at www.iands.org (that's the International Association For Near-Death Studies). This conference will focus on the enhanced abilities experiencers come to have afterward, and what to do with them. A topic IANDS has never tackled before, but one that really needs a good hearing. I will be there. So far, they have not announced who will present papers or the keynote speakers. Make your arrangements now, anyway. Don't wait. I know the program will be incredible! It always is.

September 11 through 13, I will be in Skaneateles, New York, doing a full program for Upstate New York Friends of IANDS group. Anyone can attend. Everyone is invited! Friday night there will be a public talk on "Revelations from Near-Death Experiences." Saturday I will be giving readings for those who are interested. Sunday is a six-hour intensive on "Deepening Into Spirit," for those who are ready to "dig deeper" into the realms of spirit and soul. I seldom give this intensive, so this session will be particularly special - to me and I hope to you! Access www.unyi.org and Dave@unyi.org.