A man who suffered two near-death experiences has shared what he saw in his final moments.
Pete Mackenzie Hodge was 22-years-old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer shortly after finishing his university studies in 2008.
“At the time, that was a major shock for myself and my family,” he says, explaining how he spent most of the year receiving chemotherapy in hospital.
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The dad underwent surgery to replace his bones for titanium, but his body started to reject the foreign materials. He ended up fighting for his life in a critical condition in the intensive care unit and he made the difficult decision to have his leg amputated.
"All I knew was I didn’t want to die,” he told MEN. “By losing the leg, I would have a second chance at life. I look back and think, 'thank God I did make that decision.'”
When his life was on the brink in the intensive care unit, he remembers glancing at the hospital curtain by his bed and noticed a Casio watch face. He believes the minutes and seconds ticking by were a countdown to the end of his life.
This was his first near-death experience, and the second came about after he was seriously ill during the pandemic.
After becoming severely unwell due to a bacterial infection in his lungs, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis.
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Hodge, a former drummer, was once again close to death, and he recalls leaving his body and seeing himself lifeless in his hospital bed.
“I left my body in the bed and what I saw there was my soul ascending,” he said. “I could see my physical body on the bed still which was a really profound experience.
“I saw a plethora of colour and stained-glass windows. My sedation was increased and it did something to bring me around.”
Hodge, however, says the experience wasn’t scary. It was a really magical moment, but obviously I’m so relieved and grateful to be here.”
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He was placed in a coma and doctors told him he was extremely lucky to be alive.
"All the doctors have said I’m a very lucky man. I shouldn’t be here but I am. It feels like I’m the luckiest guy in the world but also one of the unluckiest.
“I’m a firm believer that with every bad thing that is brought to us, there’s an amazing blessing attached to it or a second chance at life. The victory of surviving all that is quite a euphoric thing to go through.”
Hodge wrote about his experiences in a book, Delirium Diaries, after being inspired to do so when he had a chance meeting with his hero, comedian Steve Coogan.
The book is set to be released on 28 October.
Gregory Robinson