Matt
An incident like Alistair Blake’s near-death experience – declared clinically dead for at least 90 minutes – reignites the debate about what happens to people after death.
After being revived by his wife and the doctors, the man said it was a “terrifying experience”.
Blake, 61 years old, suffered a cardiac arrest as soon as he opened his eyes one morning in January while traveling with his wife Melinda in Australia, as reported by news.com.au.
He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for the ambulance to arrive for about 30 minutes, thanks to his wife’s quick reaction.
When health professionals arrived on the scene, they treated Blake for over an hour, shocking his chest with a defibrillator and using other manual techniques to bring him back to life. It took at least 90 minutes to complete the arduous process.
Alistair Blake doesn’t remember much from that time.
“I remember going to bed on Saturday night, and the next thing I remember is waking up on a stretcher going from the intensive care unit to the coronary care unit on Thursday morning,” said the man.
“Many people ask me if I saw anything,” he said. And his response is straightforward: “I didn’t see anything. Not even bright lights. Nothing at all. I think what happened in the middle was completely forgotten by my brain.”
Blake was transported by ambulance to Frankston Hospital, where healthcare professionals were able to clear the blockage in the artery that had caused his cardiac arrest. He was then discharged from the hospital after receiving a pacemaker as a precaution.
“When you’re on the edge of death, your perspective on life completely changes. I reduced my working hours in order to spend more time with my family and friends and have fun,” he added.
“I exercise more and eat better. You will accomplish a lot of things if you say you will. If something is meant to happen, it will happen.”
