Unlike the main stream media, the following can all be fact checked and verified.

Where do I start?

The Narrative

The year is 2019. I had a few aches and pains in my chest and generally felt unwell. In this day and age, if someone stubs a toe or breaks a nail, they feel the need to share this "cataclysmic event" on social media, orchestrating an outpouring of sympathetic responses. Needless to say, I would never complain about any minor discomfort; after all, I come from a generation where "men were men and women were proud of 'em."

As usual, the wife was giving me a hard time about my reluctance to seek help. As my situation deteriorated, I consented to phone 111. After reviewing my symptoms, they decided to send an ambulance so a paramedic could assess me. After my initial examination and ECG, they recommended that I go to hospital. As I have an aversion to hospitals—especially our local one, as it was getting late on a weekend—I knew I would be greeted by a host of people (let's just say who need Jesus).

I asked the medics if they were certain that I needed to go; there was a bit of umming and ahhing. Maybe it was just a case of severe heartburn, but the usual practice was to recommend a visit to hospital. I'll just have a few Rennies, job sorted, I thought.

Now, what transpired over the weekend was one of the biggest miracles; by the grace of God, I survived until Monday and got a friend to take me to hospital. I still had the ECG printout. I approached the desk only to be told that you had to book yourself in on the screen in the waiting room. The place was packed with no seats available. My pain was becoming unbearable, so I went to the desk and handed my "results" to a nurse. After a couple of hours, I had had enough and was just about to leave. All of a sudden, there was a flurry of activity; a nurse rushed over to me with a wheelchair. "Can you come with me, please?"

After being wheeled into an examination room, a doctor started preparing me for another ECG. As he looked at the results, I shared my disappointment regarding the NHS, informing him of my intention to go home. He calmly told me that action would result in death. What I thought was amusing was the fact that I was in A&E and the doctor requested an ambulance for me! A nurse enquired how. "Phone 999," was the response.

So let's begin. My first observation as we start this journey is that God has the very person you need waiting in the wings (come on, keep up, think hospital) ready to fulfill that divine appointment. The doctor aforementioned saw my problem as soon as he studied the results that I had provided—and it wasn't heartburn!

Further down the road on my journey, when I needed that special person, I sat in a room feeling rather despondent. A doctor enters with a friendly face: "Hello, I’m Doctor Emmanuel." I’ve met some (without sounding too hippy-ish, or is it "new aged" now?) beautiful people in the medical profession; you can usually discern between a vocation and just a job. I met a lot of medical people who would tell me how wonderful the human body is; when I mentioned the Maker, most of them would switch off.

Plus, in times like these, you realize just how strong the bond of love is if you're blessed with a close family and caring children, not to mention the amount of praying saints (in this realm) you have in the church family. Just a few more considerations to reflect on: when I was in the induced coma, to my way of thinking, it must be one of the closest states to eternity that you can experience this side of the Jordan. There seems to be no sense of time. I had a few bad experiences that could have lasted a minute or a year (just been introduced to the concept of "chronoception"); one experience just blended into another, and sometimes you're aware of the surroundings but can't interact.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to take you to La-La Land like these clowns with their "trips to heaven." You can ask me how I know that they are false; well, in the case of Heidi Baker and Kim Robinson, I don’t think God needs a warehouse full of body parts (click link above). I did have a few spiritual experiences, but I don’t intend on giving them the Hollywood treatment. I only mention one divine encounter, only because it’s the reason that I am writing this. As this is already a two-parter, I will set the rest out like a programme of events, otherwise I’ll end up writing a book.

My Testimony: A Journey of Five Miracles (2019–2026)

This is my personal record of surviving five distinct "end-of-life" crises. It stands as a factual timeline of my recovery and a testament to the grace I believe sustained me when medical logic suggested otherwise.

I. The Cardiac Event (November 2019)

• The Situation: I suffered a major heart attack (Acute Coronary Syndrome).

• The Findings: Scans showed a 100% total blockage of my Left Circumflex (LCx) artery and severe narrowing of my Right Coronary Artery (RCA).

• The Outcome: I underwent emergency stenting. Despite the complete occlusion of a major artery, my heart function was restored.

II. Sepsis and Organ Failure (June 2020)

• The Emergency: A perforated appendix led to septic shock and multi-organ failure. I was placed in an induced coma on a ventilator, and my kidneys failed, requiring continuous dialysis.

• The "End of Life" Call: On June 14, 2020, the ICU team contacted my wife to come in and say goodbye, as they did not expect me to survive the night.

• The Recovery: That same night, my condition unexpectedly stabilized. I was taken off the ventilator the next day. I left the hospital with significant physical challenges, including a "burst abdomen" (dehiscence) and a fistula, but I was alive.

III. The 75-Day COVID-19 Battle (February – April 2021)

• The Admission: While still weakened by sepsis, I was hospitalized on February 5, 2021, with COVID-19, severe dehydration, and Acute Kidney Injury (AKI).

• The Struggle: Given my cardiac history and recent organ failure, I was at extremely high risk. I remained in the hospital for 75 days.

• The Outcome: I was discharged on April 20, 2021, having recovered from the virus despite my underlying health complexities.

IV. Overcoming Line Sepsis (February 2023)

• The Infection: I was admitted with a "Golden Staph" (Staphylococcus aureus) infection originating from my PICC line.

• The Decision: While being treated for cellulitis and sepsis, I decided to decline further TPN (intravenous feeding) and refused a new line. I knew the lines were becoming a recurring source of life-threatening infection.

• Independence: I felt over the weeks prior to this event, that the Lord was saying to me that it was time to come off TPN and return to oral eating. It took this event to spur me on. This allowed me to remove the need for high-risk intravenous access and achieve nutritional independence.

V. Victory Over ARDS (December 2025 – January 2026)

• The Crisis: I was admitted in septic shock with pneumonia and a UTI. This progressed into ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome), meaning my lungs could no longer effectively process oxygen.

• The Ceiling of Care: Because of my medical history, ICU consultants determined I was not a candidate for intensive care or intubation, and a DNACPR was put in place.

• The Outcome: Treated on a standard medical ward with high-flow oxygen (AIRVO), I began to recover against clinical expectations. On January 21, 2026, I walked out of the hospital, breathing room air independently once again.