“I Died 17 Times in 13 Minutes”: What He Says He Saw in Heaven

A British man named John Williams (39) says that during a complicated heart operation, his heart stopped 17 times in 13 minutes — and that during that time he briefly experienced what he believes to have been “heaven.”

The Medical Crisis

Williams collapsed in November 2004 while dining out in Whitby when he suffered a serious heart attack. He was later scheduled for a triple bypass operation at a hospital in Leeds.

During the surgery, doctors say his heart went into a deadly rhythm and they repeatedly defibrillated him — ultimately recording 17 cardiac arrests within a roughly 13-minute span. Williams now has two rectangular burn marks on his chest – scars linked to the defibrillation and surgery.

With his heart repeatedly stopped and restarted, his body was effectively clinically “dead” many times in succession, an extraordinary medical event. His doctors told him, “With heart attacks, you either live or you die. There’s no in between.” Yet Williams lived.

What He Says He Experienced

During the operation, he reports an uncanny calm, unlike anything he felt before. He says he sensed the presence of his late father and grandfather beside him, and found himself in what he describes as a “room” beyond life, saying he understood that it wasn’t his time yet because of his children.

He quoted his grandfather saying: “You’ll see us again soon,” and his father telling him: “You’ve got two young daughters at home… Not just yet.”

Williams says the experience felt more real than a dream — the peace and the setting both vivid and other-worldly. Despite what he experienced, when he awakened, he learned he had been under a profound medical crisis for much longer than he realized.

Why This Story Captures Attention

• Medical rare case: Surviving 17 cardiac arrests in 13 minutes is exceptionally rare and attests to the human body’s resilience and advancements in emergency medicine.
• Near-death experience: The first-hand account adds to the body of personal narratives where people close to death report transcendental experiences, raising questions about consciousness and what happens when the heart (and brain) shuts down.
• Public intrigue: Stories of “heaven” seen through health crises tap into universal themes of life, death, faith, and what comes next — which is why this has resonated widely.

What Matters From a Broader View

While Williams’ experience feels profoundly personal and metaphysical, there are practical takeaways:

• Medical professionals remind us that being in skilled hands during critical care matters — rapid intervention likely saved his life.
• This case adds data for those who study near-death experiences, though “seeing heaven” remains subjective and not scientifically verifiable.
• On a personal level, Williams views his survival as a call to live more deliberately and protect what’s important — “not just yet”, meaning his time isn’t over.

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