# Episode 311: Near-Death Experiences and Hospice Wisdom: Overcoming the Fear of Death.

An episode of [The Best of Coast to Coast AM](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1206175991), 2 Oct 2026, 48 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/eac88146-dcc8-48aa-b5e9-ae2d0173cb0a/508dac66-0843-43f5-b8e5-b4d7015af97b/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=b95f0c24-c199-4939-b52c-ae2b00350f65

Join Sandra for reunions in the afterlife, compelling evidence for consciousness beyond the brain, and 3 important things we can do for our transitioning loved ones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: And you're here.
[0:01] Speaker 2: Thanks for choosing the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM
[0:04] Speaker 2: Paranormal Podcast Network. Your quest for podcasts of the paranormal, supernatural,
[0:09] Speaker 2: and the unexplained ends here. We invite you to enjoy
[0:12] Speaker 2: all our shows we have on this network. And right now,
[0:15] Speaker 2: let's start with Shades of the Afterlife with Sandra Champlain.
[0:21] Speaker 3: Welcome to our podcast. Please be aware the thoughts and
[0:25] Speaker 3: opinions expressed by the host are their thoughts and opinions only.
[0:29] Speaker 3: And do not reflect those of iHeartMedia, iHeartRadio, Coast to
[0:34] Speaker 3: Coast AM, employees of Premier Networks, or their sponsors and associates.
[0:40] Speaker 3: We would like to encourage you to do your own
[0:42] Speaker 3: research and discover the subject matter for yourself. Hi, I'm
[0:53] Speaker 3: Sandra Champlain. For over 25 years, I've been on a
[0:58] Speaker 3: journey to prove the existence of life after death. On
[1:02] Speaker 3: each episode, we'll discuss the reasons we now know that
[1:06] Speaker 3: our loved ones have survived physical death, and so will we.
[1:11] Speaker 3: Welcome to Shades of the Afterlife. Today, we are diving
[1:15] Speaker 3: into an extraordinary exploration of death, dying, and consciousness with
[1:20] Speaker 3: some incredible people who have looked across the veil and
[1:25] Speaker 3: returned with life-changing wisdom. We'll start with a remarkable lady
[1:31] Speaker 3: who had a near-death experience. Her name is Dr. Lainey Leary.
[1:36] Speaker 3: She is what's called a thanatologist, someone who specializes in
[1:41] Speaker 3: the study of death and dying. And she spent years
[1:45] Speaker 3: working in hospices and sitting at the bedside of over
[1:49] Speaker 3: 500 people as they transitioned. But her deep passion and
[1:54] Speaker 3: comfort with death didn't come from textbooks. It came from
[1:58] Speaker 3: the other side. You see, when she was just 29
[2:02] Speaker 3: years old, a routine dental procedure involving laughing gas sent
[2:07] Speaker 3: her into sudden anaphylactic shock. One moment she was in
[2:12] Speaker 3: the chair, And the next, she was looking down at
[2:15] Speaker 3: her body from the ceiling, completely free of pain, fear,
[2:20] Speaker 3: or anxiety. What she experienced next changed the direction of
[2:26] Speaker 3: her entire life, leading her straight to her true calling
[2:30] Speaker 3: in hospice care. Dr. Laney is the author of the book,
[2:34] Speaker 3: No One Has to Die Alone, Preparing for a Meaningful Death.
[2:39] Speaker 3: I'd like you to hear her near-death experience in her
[2:42] Speaker 3: own words.
[2:43] Speaker 1: I was 29 years old. I went to the dentist's office.
[2:47] Speaker 1: They were using laughing gas at the time. I had
[2:50] Speaker 1: never had a drink, never used drugs, never smoked, hardly
[2:53] Speaker 1: ever took aspirin. I think my body just said, what
[2:56] Speaker 1: is this? And I went into anaphylactic shock. So one
[3:01] Speaker 1: minute I was in the dentist's chair. The next minute
[3:03] Speaker 1: I was up on the ceiling looking down at this body.
[3:07] Speaker 1: And then as I looked at my 29 year old body,
[3:09] Speaker 1: I felt as though it was just a piece of clothing.
[3:13] Speaker 1: I had a fondness for it. I knew it. I
[3:16] Speaker 1: had used it well, but it was time to go
[3:18] Speaker 1: to the Salvation Army. I wasn't connected to it. I
[3:22] Speaker 1: felt no fear, no pain, no anxiety. The dentist was
[3:26] Speaker 1: freaking out and I was trying to talk to him
[3:29] Speaker 1: from up there and say it was okay, but of
[3:31] Speaker 1: course he didn't get it. And I had also within this,
[3:34] Speaker 1: I had no sense of time. There was no anxiety.
[3:37] Speaker 1: There was no sense of passing time. So I don't
[3:39] Speaker 1: know how long I was up there in the corner.
[3:42] Speaker 1: But the next thing I knew, it was as though
[3:45] Speaker 1: I had turned around and I was going into a
[3:47] Speaker 1: tunnel of And my mother, who had been dead for
[3:50] Speaker 1: 15 years, was right at the tunnel.
[3:54] Speaker 3: I can still see it.
[3:56] Speaker 1: And she was beautiful and whole and vibrant and healthy.
[4:00] Speaker 1: And she did not die that way.
[4:02] Speaker 3: She was healed.
[4:03] Speaker 1: And her arms were outstretched to me. And we communicated telepathically,
[4:08] Speaker 1: so our mouths didn't move. But I thought, and she received,
[4:11] Speaker 1: and she thought, and I heard. And I thought.
[4:16] Speaker 3: I miss you.
[4:17] Speaker 1: And what came back to me was, I know, as
[4:21] Speaker 1: though her arms were around me. And I was not
[4:23] Speaker 1: able to tell her I loved her before she died.
[4:25] Speaker 1: And I said, I love you.
[4:26] Speaker 3: And she said, I know.
[4:30] Speaker 1: And my ego was not present because my ego here
[4:36] Speaker 1: would have said, I wanted to stay with my mother
[4:38] Speaker 1: for years and years and tell her every single first
[4:41] Speaker 1: date I had and my wedding and all about my child.
[4:45] Speaker 1: The ego was not present because I knew from a
[4:48] Speaker 1: soul level at that moment that she had always been
[4:52] Speaker 1: with me. We had never been apart. I knew that.
[4:55] Speaker 3: I still know that.
[4:57] Speaker 1: And so with that, I was drawn into a tunnel
[5:00] Speaker 1: that to me, the words I can describe it are
[5:03] Speaker 1: almost an opalescent blue, beautiful. And at the end of
[5:07] Speaker 1: the tunnel was a pinpoint of light and I couldn't
[5:10] Speaker 1: do anything but go toward it. And so I went
[5:13] Speaker 1: toward this light. And as I got to this light,
[5:16] Speaker 1: it became bigger and brighter, almost like looking into the sun.
[5:19] Speaker 1: But it wasn't painful to look into this light. And
[5:22] Speaker 1: the light was in front of me. And then the
[5:24] Speaker 1: light was around me. And then I was in the light.
[5:27] Speaker 1: And then I knew I was the light. As a
[5:30] Speaker 1: drop of water in the ocean is not separate. The
[5:33] Speaker 1: light and I were made of the same substance. And
[5:36] Speaker 1: I was home.
[5:37] Speaker 3: It was....
[5:41] Speaker 1: Bliss doesn't come close to the word but I knew
[5:44] Speaker 1: in that moment that I was forgiven for anything I
[5:46] Speaker 1: thought was unforgivable I was loved beyond all measure in
[5:51] Speaker 1: a way that I'd never been loved before and I
[5:54] Speaker 1: wanted to stay there and again in the same telepathic
[5:57] Speaker 1: way as with my mother I heard a voice that
[6:00] Speaker 1: said to me and you can call this light whatever
[6:02] Speaker 1: you want because words really get in the way of
[6:04] Speaker 1: what it was but this light said to me you
[6:07] Speaker 1: must go back and with all the chutzpah I had
[6:12] Speaker 1: I responded and said no and the light said you
[6:17] Speaker 1: have work to do you must go back and again
[6:21] Speaker 1: I yelled with everything I had no and then I
[6:25] Speaker 1: felt and I heard like a churning like I was
[6:27] Speaker 1: in a blender coming back down through the tunnel and
[6:32] Speaker 1: the next thing I knew I was in the dentist
[6:34] Speaker 1: chair and the dentist thought that he had resuscitated me
[6:38] Speaker 1: so he can have the credit And my life changed
[6:41] Speaker 1: as a result of that. Now, when I came back,
[6:44] Speaker 1: I was disoriented in a way of now what? Because
[6:48] Speaker 1: I wanted to stay there. And my sense was, if
[6:52] Speaker 1: I got to be back here, it better be good.
[6:55] Speaker 1: And because the difference, the comparison was that this is
[6:59] Speaker 1: like sludging through mud compared to the ease and the
[7:03] Speaker 1: love that's there. And it was shortly after that experience,
[7:07] Speaker 1: and I was having these feelings of now what, that
[7:11] Speaker 1: I was reading a newspaper fully open. I turned the
[7:15] Speaker 1: page and there was a full page article on hospice.
[7:19] Speaker 1: And the word yes just came up off the page.
[7:22] Speaker 1: And I've been working in hospice ever since.
[7:26] Speaker 3: When Lainey came back from that experience, she was forever changed.
[7:30] Speaker 3: She knew with absolute certainty that consciousness does not end
[7:35] Speaker 3: at physical death, that our loved ones are still whole,
[7:39] Speaker 3: and that we are never truly separated from them. But
[7:42] Speaker 3: her journey to understanding death didn't stop in that dentist's chair.
[7:47] Speaker 3: It was shaped by a childhood tragedy that and a
[7:50] Speaker 3: lifelong dedication to service. Laney often shares how when she
[7:55] Speaker 3: was just 13 years old, her mother fell ill with
[7:59] Speaker 3: a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome. In an era
[8:06] Speaker 3: and a family where illness and dying were never discussed openly,
[8:10] Speaker 3: her mother was taken to the hospital and she never returned.
[8:14] Speaker 3: Because young Laney was shielded from the truth and never
[8:17] Speaker 3: got to say goodbye to her, She was left carrying
[8:20] Speaker 3: a heavy burden of guilt, believing for years that she
[8:24] Speaker 3: somehow caused her mother's death by leaving her alone. That painful,
[8:29] Speaker 3: unresolved grief became the catalyst for her life's mission. She
[8:34] Speaker 3: vowed to ensure that she would never, ever again feel unprepared, unwilling,
[8:41] Speaker 3: or unable to help a loved one who was facing
[8:45] Speaker 3: the end of their life. She took herself back to school.
[8:49] Speaker 3: earned advanced degrees, and specialized in thanatology, formerly studying death, dying,
[8:56] Speaker 3: and grief. She worked in hospitals and hospices across the
[9:00] Speaker 3: United States, eventually sitting at the bedside of over 500 individuals.
[9:06] Speaker 3: Those hundreds of generous people taught her what truly matters
[9:11] Speaker 3: at the They taught her that we cannot always hold
[9:15] Speaker 3: back death, but we have absolute control over how we
[9:20] Speaker 3: approach the process. Through her extensive bedside experience and her
[9:25] Speaker 3: own near-death awakening, Dr. Laney realized that our attitudes towards
[9:30] Speaker 3: death actually dictate how we live our lives. If we
[9:36] Speaker 3: view death as an enemy to be feared and hidden away,
[9:40] Speaker 3: In institutional settings, we create isolation, fear, and panic. But
[9:46] Speaker 3: if we approach death with an open heart, we can
[9:48] Speaker 3: transform the entire experience into one of grace, peace, and
[9:53] Speaker 3: even love. Lainey's clinical work and her personal revelations demonstrate
[9:58] Speaker 3: that the dying have very specific needs that go far
[10:02] Speaker 3: beyond medical intervention. They need to be heard without judgment,
[10:07] Speaker 3: touched with genuine affection to remind them that they are
[10:10] Speaker 3: still valued and given gentle permission to let go when
[10:15] Speaker 3: it is their time to go home. Her work proves
[10:19] Speaker 3: that love does not end when physical death ceases. Rather,
[10:23] Speaker 3: the emotional bond transcends death, and we can continue to
[10:28] Speaker 3: carry the values and legacy of our loved ones forward.
[10:34] Speaker 3: She reminds us that our relationships don't have to terminate
[10:37] Speaker 3: because a physical body stops breathing. Instead, we learn how
[10:41] Speaker 3: to carry our loved ones in a brand new way,
[10:44] Speaker 3: weaving their values, their memory, and their love into our
[10:48] Speaker 3: daily lives. When we serve others and live well without
[10:52] Speaker 3: holding back, we replace our grief with a deep, lasting gratitude.
[10:58] Speaker 3: You'll hear more words from Dr. Leary at the end
[11:02] Speaker 3: of our episode today, but as we reflect on her story,
[11:06] Speaker 3: we're reminded that that confronting our own fears about death
[11:11] Speaker 3: today allows us to live more fully and authentically right now,
[11:16] Speaker 3: this moment. So when we come back from the break,
[11:19] Speaker 3: guess what? I'm going to share with you some incredible
[11:22] Speaker 3: near-death experiences. So buckle up, get ready, and I'll see
[11:27] Speaker 3: you on the other side. We'll be right back. You're
[11:31] Speaker 3: listening to Shades of the Afterlife on the iHeartRadio and
[11:34] Speaker 3: Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. Welcome back to
[12:01] Speaker 3: Shades of the Afterlife. I'm Sandra Champlain. We just heard
[12:04] Speaker 3: from Dr. Lainey Leary. After the death of her mom,
[12:09] Speaker 3: but seeing her on the other side in her near-death experience,
[12:12] Speaker 3: she went on to work with hospice and sat by
[12:15] Speaker 3: the bedside of over 500 people. We'll hear a few
[12:19] Speaker 3: more words from Dr. Leary at the end. But next,
[12:22] Speaker 3: we're going to take a deeply emotional journey with a
[12:25] Speaker 3: family man from Georgia who thought he was just feeling
[12:29] Speaker 3: the exhaustion of getting older, only to experience a massive
[12:34] Speaker 3: heart attack that took him straight through the veil into
[12:37] Speaker 3: the arms of heaven. His near-death experience is a reminder
[12:42] Speaker 3: that our loved ones truly never leave us. I shall
[12:46] Speaker 3: now read to you his experience written from his own words.
[12:51] Speaker 3: I'm not sure where to begin, but I believe God
[12:54] Speaker 3: wants me to share this. Every time I try to
[12:57] Speaker 3: write it, I start crying since it's still as fresh
[13:01] Speaker 3: in my mind as if it happened yesterday. It's the
[13:05] Speaker 3: most emotional experience I've ever had in my life. I'm
[13:09] Speaker 3: a 57-year-old white male that lives in Georgia. My wife's
[13:14] Speaker 3: name is Ann, and we have five children and 10 grandchildren.
[13:18] Speaker 3: I haven't been feeling well in the years leading up
[13:21] Speaker 3: to 1991. I was exhausted, unable to sleep. My arm
[13:27] Speaker 3: hurt and became numb and I became extremely short of breath.
[13:32] Speaker 3: I assumed it was due to the fact that I
[13:34] Speaker 3: smoked and I was getting older. My wife had been
[13:38] Speaker 3: a school bus driver for 28 years and she was
[13:41] Speaker 3: out on her route at the time. I was at
[13:44] Speaker 3: home in the backyard and we were using an old
[13:47] Speaker 3: truck to tow our camper to a spot on a
[13:51] Speaker 3: lake in Alabama. Because the paint had faded, a friend
[13:55] Speaker 3: of ours had painted it both inside and out. I
[13:59] Speaker 3: was in the yard putting on the sun visors when
[14:02] Speaker 3: I felt ill in my stomach. I began to sweat
[14:06] Speaker 3: and experienced severe cramps in my chest and right down
[14:09] Speaker 3: my arm. But like most smokers, I assumed that if
[14:13] Speaker 3: I sat down and smoked, it would be gone. I
[14:17] Speaker 3: was sorely mistaken. My wife arrived in her bus around
[14:21] Speaker 3: that time, parked and walked up to where I was sitting.
[14:26] Speaker 3: Her first words were, what's the problem? You're as white
[14:30] Speaker 3: as cotton. I didn't want to worry her. So I
[14:33] Speaker 3: told her I'd be fine in just a few minutes.
[14:35] Speaker 3: Do you want me to call 911 or do you
[14:38] Speaker 3: want me to bring you to the hospital? She asked again.
[14:40] Speaker 3: I stood up and began following her into the house
[14:44] Speaker 3: as she opened the back door. I was just inside
[14:47] Speaker 3: the door when it appeared that someone had cut off
[14:51] Speaker 3: my air supply. I dropped to my knees and rolled
[14:54] Speaker 3: onto my back. It seemed like six elephants landed in
[14:59] Speaker 3: the center of my chest all at the same time.
[15:02] Speaker 3: That's when I realized I was in serious trouble. Ann
[15:06] Speaker 3: turned around and dialed 911 while I informed her that
[15:11] Speaker 3: I believed I was suffering a heart attack. I then
[15:15] Speaker 3: requested that she contact my friend Grady, the one who
[15:19] Speaker 3: did my truck's paint job. I was aware. that he
[15:23] Speaker 3: was taking nitroglycerin tablets for his heart. He arrived with
[15:28] Speaker 3: the tablets before the EMTs. I put two under my tongue,
[15:33] Speaker 3: but received no relief. The EMTs arrived right after, and
[15:38] Speaker 3: I informed them I couldn't breathe and was in a
[15:41] Speaker 3: lot of pain in my chest. They ripped off my shirt,
[15:45] Speaker 3: hooked me up to a monitor, and told me I
[15:47] Speaker 3: was having a severe heart attack and throwing blood clots.
[15:53] Speaker 3: At that moment, I noticed my life and that I
[15:56] Speaker 3: was utterly out of it. I began to experience a
[16:00] Speaker 3: strange sensation that I never experienced before. I glanced up
[16:05] Speaker 3: at Grady and the EMT and told them I knew
[16:09] Speaker 3: I was going to die. I instructed Grady to tell
[16:12] Speaker 3: the kids to watch out for Ann and to tell
[16:15] Speaker 3: them how much I loved them all. Then my body
[16:19] Speaker 3: began to feel like your feet had gone to sleep
[16:24] Speaker 3: all over again. Everything became gray and I experienced the
[16:29] Speaker 3: most calm feeling I have ever experienced in my life.
[16:34] Speaker 3: For what seemed like a split second, everything went black.
[16:38] Speaker 3: I was floating above the EMTs, watching them work on me.
[16:43] Speaker 3: They shot me in the arm and the heart. then
[16:46] Speaker 3: began to shock my heart with the paddles. I observed
[16:50] Speaker 3: my spirit float out of my body after they shocked
[16:54] Speaker 3: me twice. I reside on the second floor of a
[16:57] Speaker 3: two-story house and it suddenly didn't have a top on
[17:01] Speaker 3: it anymore. I began to float higher and higher in
[17:04] Speaker 3: the air. I could see everyone inside the home and outside.
[17:10] Speaker 3: Grady ran outside and was throwing up while holding onto
[17:14] Speaker 3: my truck. When he realized I had died, I could
[17:17] Speaker 3: see him clear as day. Anne had to be held
[17:20] Speaker 3: by friends who had run over to help her. Throughout
[17:24] Speaker 3: it all, I never felt threatened by death. I started
[17:28] Speaker 3: rushing into a tunnel all of a sudden. It was
[17:31] Speaker 3: incredibly narrow with the most magnificent light I'd ever seen
[17:36] Speaker 3: at the opposite end. It felt like I was going
[17:39] Speaker 3: 100 miles per hour headfirst. The light was growing closer
[17:44] Speaker 3: all the time. It was blindingly brilliant, but it didn't
[17:48] Speaker 3: hurt my eyes. Then when I went into the light,
[17:52] Speaker 3: it felt like I plunged into a pool. The glow
[17:55] Speaker 3: completely obscured my vision. A voice came from the center
[17:59] Speaker 3: of the light. It assured me that everything would be fine.
[18:03] Speaker 3: I never felt so at ease. There was no pain
[18:07] Speaker 3: and the love I felt there was so powerful that
[18:11] Speaker 3: there aren't enough words to express just how wonderful it was.
[18:14] Speaker 3: I had a feeling it was God. He told me
[18:18] Speaker 3: I had to go back because my wife wasn't handling
[18:21] Speaker 3: it well. And he added, look down below and you'll
[18:25] Speaker 3: see her. I could see everything that was going on
[18:28] Speaker 3: in our house. And when I looked down, Anne was
[18:31] Speaker 3: in complete shambles. God, I don't want to go back,
[18:35] Speaker 3: I replied. As much as I loved her, I've never
[18:38] Speaker 3: felt so much love and tranquility on this planet as
[18:42] Speaker 3: I have here. He stated, come on in and I'll
[18:46] Speaker 3: show you heaven, but you have to go. I need
[18:49] Speaker 3: you to help me with some jobs on earth. There
[18:53] Speaker 3: aren't enough words on the planet to express what God
[18:56] Speaker 3: showed me that day. There was the most gorgeous gate
[19:01] Speaker 3: through which I saw my parents and grandparents, both of
[19:06] Speaker 3: whom had died a long time ago. They all stated
[19:10] Speaker 3: that they were okay and would wait for me to return.
[19:14] Speaker 3: We walked in and everything appeared to be in the
[19:17] Speaker 3: single room, but you could see for miles. There was
[19:20] Speaker 3: a lot to see, including the cleanest rivers and streams.
[19:24] Speaker 3: The water was absolutely clear. The sky was so blue
[19:29] Speaker 3: and the grass so green that you didn't leave tracks
[19:33] Speaker 3: as you walked across it. I heard the most lovely
[19:37] Speaker 3: music you've ever heard, and the flowers were the most
[19:40] Speaker 3: stunning I'd ever seen. I didn't notice any folks who
[19:44] Speaker 3: appeared to be sick, disabled, or sad. They said I
[19:48] Speaker 3: was dead for three to four minutes, yet time appeared
[19:52] Speaker 3: to stand still in heaven. I'd been there for what
[19:55] Speaker 3: seemed like three or four months. Then God took my
[19:58] Speaker 3: hand and said, you must go back for a while.
[20:02] Speaker 3: You're welcome to return once your job is completed. Around
[20:05] Speaker 3: that time, I began returning through the same tunnel at
[20:09] Speaker 3: full speed. The next thing I knew, I was staring
[20:13] Speaker 3: at the EMT and seeing my grandson, who lives next
[20:16] Speaker 3: door and had wandered into the room during the excitement.
[20:20] Speaker 3: I left you for a time, didn't I? I asked,
[20:23] Speaker 3: looking at them. Later in the hospital, recovering in the CCU,
[20:29] Speaker 3: I had the sweetest nurse, yet she seemed unhappy and
[20:33] Speaker 3: teary when she was near me. The next day, she
[20:36] Speaker 3: stated an EMT had told her that I could tell
[20:41] Speaker 3: her what she wanted to know more than anything in
[20:44] Speaker 3: the world. She told me that her eight-year-old son had
[20:48] Speaker 3: died three months previously from brain cancer and she wanted
[20:52] Speaker 3: to know what he went through. I just lay there,
[20:55] Speaker 3: unsure what to say, but she started crying, which... crushed
[20:59] Speaker 3: my heart. And then I started crying as well. I
[21:03] Speaker 3: suddenly began to recount the entire thing. We were both
[21:07] Speaker 3: crying the entire time. Then she replied that knowing how
[21:11] Speaker 3: things are in heaven, she could live with it. And
[21:14] Speaker 3: she embraced me and whispered, I'll never forget who you are.
[21:19] Speaker 3: Thank you very much. I feel like God sent her
[21:22] Speaker 3: to watch after me while I was in the intensive
[21:25] Speaker 3: care unit. and sent me back to share this message
[21:28] Speaker 3: so others would know that there's nothing to fear. Thank you, sir,
[21:32] Speaker 3: for that wonderful story. I want to give you another
[21:35] Speaker 3: quick story of a child who crossed over and experienced
[21:40] Speaker 3: love on the other side. When he was just eight
[21:43] Speaker 3: years old in 1963, he became critically ill with a
[21:47] Speaker 3: severe infection before surgery. As he drifted away under ether,
[21:52] Speaker 3: his consciousness floated out into a vast, peaceful universe. After
[21:57] Speaker 3: passing through a swirling, sparkly spiral tube, he was gently
[22:01] Speaker 3: pulled across a barrier by a young cousin who had
[22:05] Speaker 3: passed away in the Korean War. He was surrounded by friendly,
[22:09] Speaker 3: welcoming grandparents and generations of his family, all resting comfortably
[22:15] Speaker 3: and high-backed chairs that stretched back like steps on a
[22:19] Speaker 3: ladder toward a brilliant glowing light. There, a special messenger
[22:24] Speaker 3: of God guided him through a life review. Though he
[22:27] Speaker 3: was given the choice to stay in that magnificent place,
[22:31] Speaker 3: he thought of his mother's heartbreak on earth and chose
[22:35] Speaker 3: to return. He woke up holding his grandmother's hand, forever
[22:39] Speaker 3: changed by the absolute reality that love and family continue
[22:43] Speaker 3: beyond this physical life. We'll take our break now, but
[22:47] Speaker 3: when we come back, I've got another story to share.
[22:51] Speaker 3: And then we'll hear Dr. Lainey Leary's wisdom from hospice.
[22:56] Speaker 3: We'll be right back. You're listening to Shades of the
[22:59] Speaker 3: Afterlife on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal
[23:04] Speaker 3: Podcast Network. Welcome back to Shades of the Afterlife. I'm
[23:28] Speaker 3: Sandra Champlain. You know, when we experience a sudden trauma,
[23:32] Speaker 3: the transition between worlds can be startling. But as you're
[23:36] Speaker 3: about to hear, our departed loved ones are closer than
[23:40] Speaker 3: we could ever imagine, ready to greet us and take
[23:43] Speaker 3: us home with so much love and warmth. Our next
[23:47] Speaker 3: story is from another gentleman that I will read in
[23:50] Speaker 3: his own words. On a Sunday in mid-1989, I was
[23:55] Speaker 3: traveling back to my house from a trade show at
[23:58] Speaker 3: a resort. reflecting on a lovely spring day with the
[24:02] Speaker 3: leaves on the trees just starting to peak. The weather
[24:06] Speaker 3: was lovely with temperatures hovering around 75 degrees. I was
[24:11] Speaker 3: on the highway heading north, listening to a fantastic song
[24:14] Speaker 3: on the radio. feeling so relieved to be coming home
[24:18] Speaker 3: after such a busy weekend. I had been asked to
[24:21] Speaker 3: be a groomsman and a longtime friend's wedding that weekend,
[24:25] Speaker 3: but my supervisor stated that I couldn't go. I was
[24:29] Speaker 3: deeply bummed about missing the wedding and not seeing my friend,
[24:32] Speaker 3: but he was never far from my mind that day.
[24:35] Speaker 3: So I kept wondering how the service went. As I
[24:38] Speaker 3: drove along, I noticed an automobile approaching the highway on
[24:43] Speaker 3: a dirt road from the west, a double lane divided highway.
[24:47] Speaker 3: I observed the automobile cross the southbound lanes of traffic
[24:51] Speaker 3: and drive right into the median nearing the stop sign
[24:55] Speaker 3: that directed cars to come to a halt before continuing
[24:59] Speaker 3: across the northbound lanes. In retrospect, I saw that the
[25:03] Speaker 3: car had never stopped at the stop sign at all.
[25:06] Speaker 3: Rather than pausing, the automobile continued straight through the stop
[25:11] Speaker 3: sign directly onto my path. In my mind, the car
[25:16] Speaker 3: looked like a massive mid-70s Lincoln Town car because it
[25:20] Speaker 3: was so close, though I later discovered it was actually
[25:23] Speaker 3: a mid-sized bright green mid-80s Oldsmobile. Everything slowed down instantly
[25:29] Speaker 3: to the speed of slow motion. I uttered a swear word.
[25:34] Speaker 3: My right hand pushed the shifter backward to drop the
[25:38] Speaker 3: transmission into lower gear, and I made a sharp left
[25:41] Speaker 3: turn with the steering wheel. I remember thinking, if I
[25:45] Speaker 3: just hit this car in the rear axle, it'll spin
[25:48] Speaker 3: the car out of my way, and maybe the elderly
[25:51] Speaker 3: driver and passenger will live through this event. Other than
[25:55] Speaker 3: the wind, I don't recall hearing anything else. That's extremely strange,
[26:00] Speaker 3: I thought. wondering where the wind had gone and why
[26:04] Speaker 3: my car was not turning, no matter how sharply I
[26:07] Speaker 3: twisted the wheel. As the automobile approached, I understood there
[26:12] Speaker 3: was nothing I could do to influence the result. I
[26:16] Speaker 3: watched as the folks in the other car got closer,
[26:19] Speaker 3: first by a few feet, then by inches. The man
[26:23] Speaker 3: was peering through the windscreen and the woman was turned
[26:26] Speaker 3: slightly towards him, holding what appeared to be a little
[26:30] Speaker 3: transistor radio right near her right ear. Then there was contact,
[26:35] Speaker 3: the sound of a crash, and the vision of the
[26:38] Speaker 3: other persons was immediately blocked by thick steam coming from
[26:42] Speaker 3: my car's radiator bursting. My automobile began to slowly spin westward.
[26:48] Speaker 3: Because of the steam, I couldn't see anything. And I
[26:51] Speaker 3: remember thinking, all I really need is for a tractor
[26:55] Speaker 3: trailer to drive into us right now. Once my car
[26:59] Speaker 3: spun far enough to face southwest, the wind blew the
[27:03] Speaker 3: steam out of my range of view and I could
[27:06] Speaker 3: see down the highway, feeling immensely glad there wasn't a
[27:10] Speaker 3: truck bearing down on us. When my automobile finally came
[27:14] Speaker 3: to a halt, I said out loud, man, I've got
[27:17] Speaker 3: to get out of here. I recall my head bowed
[27:20] Speaker 3: and my chin striking my chest, followed by a loud,
[27:24] Speaker 3: distinct foofing sound. The best way I can describe the
[27:29] Speaker 3: sound is when you lock your lower lip behind your
[27:32] Speaker 3: upper teeth and then blow your lip back into the
[27:35] Speaker 3: normal place. Fuffing. I remember feeling fuffed as if I
[27:40] Speaker 3: were a spitwad being hastily forced through a straw. I
[27:45] Speaker 3: could hear and feel the fuffing. The elevation seemed about correct.
[27:50] Speaker 3: and I seemed to be oriented vertically to the rest
[27:52] Speaker 3: of the world, standing close to the driver's door of
[27:56] Speaker 3: my wrecked automobile. Hey, that's me, and I'm in a
[27:59] Speaker 3: bit of a mess, I thought, as I looked at
[28:02] Speaker 3: the guy sitting there inside the car. It wasn't too horrible, though,
[28:07] Speaker 3: because nothing appeared to have been pulled from the body.
[28:11] Speaker 3: Everything appeared to be in place, but it was lifeless.
[28:14] Speaker 3: Having worked in a funeral home for about a year
[28:17] Speaker 3: and a half, I was pretty familiar with bodies and
[28:20] Speaker 3: how they seem when they are no longer alive. Standing
[28:24] Speaker 3: there beside the wreckage, looking down at the physical shell
[28:28] Speaker 3: of my vehicle, a profound wave of detachment washed over
[28:32] Speaker 3: me that is almost impossible to put into words. In
[28:37] Speaker 3: our everyday lives, we invest so much worry. so much stress,
[28:42] Speaker 3: and so much identity into our physical forms, our aches,
[28:46] Speaker 3: our pains, our appearances. But in that expanded state of awareness,
[28:51] Speaker 3: I realized how temporary and secondary the physical body is.
[28:56] Speaker 3: Having spent time working in that funeral home, I thought
[28:59] Speaker 3: I really understood death from a clinical perspective. I had
[29:03] Speaker 3: seen plenty of bodies and knew exactly how they looked
[29:07] Speaker 3: when life had departed. Yet seeing my own vehicle and
[29:11] Speaker 3: knowing my physical heart had stopped functioning sparked no panic
[29:16] Speaker 3: or terror within me whatsoever. Instead, it felt like standing
[29:21] Speaker 3: in a room after turning off a loud, cumbersome machine
[29:25] Speaker 3: that had finished its work. My mind was sharper, my
[29:29] Speaker 3: perception was crystal clear, and I felt a sense of
[29:32] Speaker 3: absolute lightness, as if every heavy burden of earth had
[29:37] Speaker 3: instantly evaporated into thin air. I turned around when I
[29:41] Speaker 3: heard a voice behind me. Standing there were two of
[29:45] Speaker 3: my closest friends, Lisa and Susan, who had tragically died
[29:50] Speaker 3: together in a vehicle accident in 1983. They were killed together.
[29:56] Speaker 3: which was fitting given their inseparability and the three of
[29:59] Speaker 3: us had been closer than brother and sister. I attended
[30:03] Speaker 3: both of their funerals and vowed to myself that if
[30:06] Speaker 3: I died, those two ladies would come to collect me
[30:10] Speaker 3: if that's how it's done. And they were indeed there.
[30:14] Speaker 3: The amazing thing looking back was that I wasn't astonished
[30:18] Speaker 3: to find them there at all. I remember saying, hey, Lisa, hey, Susan, casually.
[30:24] Speaker 3: As if I just met them at the student union
[30:27] Speaker 3: during a break from classes, I started telling Lisa about
[30:30] Speaker 3: my body, pointing towards myself, sitting in the car and
[30:34] Speaker 3: feeling completely amused by the circumstance. I recall a sense
[30:38] Speaker 3: of complete and full freedom, realizing that in my current state.
[30:42] Speaker 3: I could do anything I wanted, go anywhere, and no
[30:46] Speaker 3: laws of physics governed what I could accomplish. I realized
[30:51] Speaker 3: I could go straight to the Eiffel Tower if I
[30:53] Speaker 3: wanted to. I began to enjoy my current state of well-being,
[30:58] Speaker 3: which to this day... I still miss. Brian, you must
[31:02] Speaker 3: pay close attention, Lisa said, directing my attention to the
[31:06] Speaker 3: western horizon. I saw that almost everything in the world
[31:10] Speaker 3: had muted, like a television with poor reception, mostly black
[31:14] Speaker 3: and white, occasionally interrupted by a blob of color. My life,
[31:19] Speaker 3: on the other hand, was playing out in the skies
[31:22] Speaker 3: like a widescreen movie, in color, on a videocassette recorder,
[31:27] Speaker 3: stuck and fast-forwarded. But instead of seeing it, I felt
[31:31] Speaker 3: like I was right inside the scene, standing with Lisa
[31:36] Speaker 3: and Susan throughout my entire life from birth to death.
[31:40] Speaker 3: At that very instant, I realized there had been previous lives,
[31:45] Speaker 3: but I wasn't interested in them since they were already
[31:47] Speaker 3: done and concluded. I realized that I was all-knowing with
[31:52] Speaker 3: every question immediately answered and all knowledge readily available in
[31:58] Speaker 3: my mind. I realized this was my true condition of being,
[32:02] Speaker 3: that I was a creature who had merely exploited that
[32:05] Speaker 3: lifeless piece of meat inside the automobile for a short time.
[32:11] Speaker 3: I did feel a brief sadness for my body, though
[32:14] Speaker 3: it wasn't of any longer use, and I felt a
[32:17] Speaker 3: bit like trading in an old car. It had served
[32:21] Speaker 3: me well, but was time to go. You must listen,
[32:24] Speaker 3: Lisa communicated. You have accomplished enough that you can travel
[32:29] Speaker 3: with us or you can stay. But if you stay,
[32:33] Speaker 3: you must know why and you must tell us. You
[32:37] Speaker 3: must understand that if you stay, it'll be really difficult.
[32:42] Speaker 3: I have to stay, I stated forcefully. Why, Lisa inquired.
[32:47] Speaker 3: I don't have any children yet, I explained. It was significant,
[32:51] Speaker 3: but not overly emotional, much like telling someone you still
[32:55] Speaker 3: needed another day to finish painting the windows of your house.
[32:59] Speaker 3: Susan said nothing during this, but beyond Susan, I noticed
[33:03] Speaker 3: someone else paying close attention. A massive presence, visible only
[33:08] Speaker 3: as waves of distortion, veiled from my consciousness so I
[33:12] Speaker 3: couldn't see him or her directly, much like someone cloaked.
[33:17] Speaker 3: There was no sense of danger, merely a profound recognition
[33:21] Speaker 3: of this presence. All right, Lisa stated, you should know
[33:25] Speaker 3: that your heart stopped when you hit the steering wheel,
[33:28] Speaker 3: but you will not be permanently injured as a result
[33:31] Speaker 3: of this. You have a broken sternum, a cut on
[33:35] Speaker 3: your finger, and a couple of teeth knocked out. All right,
[33:38] Speaker 3: I said. And then I heard, foof, everything went black.
[33:43] Speaker 3: And I was perplexed at first until I heard a
[33:45] Speaker 3: distant booming sound. that grew closer, realizing it was my
[33:50] Speaker 3: heart beginning to beat again. Then I felt a desperate
[33:54] Speaker 3: need for fresh air, like being deep underwater, and I
[33:58] Speaker 3: took the longest, deepest, gasping breath of my life, opening
[34:02] Speaker 3: my eyes to bleeding hands and a shattered car. When
[34:07] Speaker 3: I finally raised my head and spoke to a state
[34:10] Speaker 3: trooper looking at my dashboard, he sprang back and shouted, hey,
[34:14] Speaker 3: this one's alive, get over here. Later, in the hospital
[34:18] Speaker 3: and the ambulance, the medical staff were completely stunned when
[34:22] Speaker 3: I accurately told them that I had only a broken sternum,
[34:26] Speaker 3: a cut on my finger, and that I would lose
[34:28] Speaker 3: two teeth. Precise details I had no normal way of
[34:33] Speaker 3: knowing ahead of time. This experience permanently altered how I
[34:38] Speaker 3: view existence, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that
[34:42] Speaker 3: our loved ones are real, they are waiting. and death
[34:46] Speaker 3: is merely a doorway. Thank you, Brian, for that experience. Friends,
[34:51] Speaker 3: when we come back for our final segment, you'll hear Dr.
[34:55] Speaker 3: Lainey Leary's incredible hospice wisdom, the touching story of Nana,
[35:00] Speaker 3: and our final reflections on the profound gifts spirit leaves behind.
[35:05] Speaker 3: We'll be right back. You're listening to Shades of the
[35:08] Speaker 3: Afterlife on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal
[35:13] Speaker 3: Podcast Network. Welcome back to Shades of the Afterlife. I'm
[35:36] Speaker 3: Sandra Champlain. Remember Dr. Lainey Leary from Segment One? She's
[35:41] Speaker 3: the one who saw her mother in her near-death experience.
[35:45] Speaker 3: She went on to working 25 years as a psychotherapist
[35:50] Speaker 3: with hospice and with the chronically ill, dying, and bereaved clients. Plus,
[35:56] Speaker 3: she wrote the book, No One Has to Die Alone,
[35:59] Speaker 3: preparing for a meaningful death. Let's listen to her share
[36:04] Speaker 3: how to truly be present for those we love at
[36:07] Speaker 3: the end of life.
[36:09] Speaker 1: How we die matters. It matters not just to the
[36:12] Speaker 1: person who is dying. It will matter to the loved
[36:15] Speaker 1: ones who will grieve, and it will matter to the
[36:19] Speaker 1: next generation to whom we are teaching values and what
[36:24] Speaker 1: it means to be part of a family and part
[36:27] Speaker 1: of a larger community. I also believe that no one
[36:31] Speaker 1: has to die alone, and we can make a difference
[36:35] Speaker 1: so that our loved one, as they die, will not
[36:38] Speaker 1: feel abandoned or emotionally distant. I want to leave you
[36:44] Speaker 1: today with three simple but profound things that you can
[36:48] Speaker 1: do to make a difference when your loved one dies.
[36:52] Speaker 1: I've had the great honor and privilege of being at
[36:55] Speaker 1: the bedside of more than 500 people as they died.
[36:59] Speaker 1: And they taught me so much about dying, but also
[37:04] Speaker 1: about living. They changed how I live. And so it's
[37:08] Speaker 1: about time that I share their lessons with you their
[37:12] Speaker 1: legacy that they want to pass on. And I feel
[37:15] Speaker 1: as though all 500 are here with me today. What
[37:20] Speaker 1: they taught me allowed me to help my father die,
[37:25] Speaker 1: which was one of the greatest privileges of my life.
[37:28] Speaker 1: My dad called me a couple of years ago to
[37:30] Speaker 1: tell me that it wasn't pneumonia. It was end stage
[37:34] Speaker 1: cancer that was distressing him so much. And so I
[37:38] Speaker 1: closed my practice and I flew home to take care
[37:41] Speaker 1: of him. I hoped that we had three months, but
[37:45] Speaker 1: it turned out to be just two weeks, but it
[37:48] Speaker 1: was on his timing. And in that time that we
[37:51] Speaker 1: had together, we talked honestly and directly about his death.
[37:56] Speaker 1: And I asked him questions like, dad, who do you
[37:59] Speaker 1: want to be with you? What do you want? What
[38:01] Speaker 1: do you not want? What do you want to do
[38:04] Speaker 1: before you die? Let's make that happen. It was my
[38:09] Speaker 1: job to be his advocate. and to be his supporter.
[38:14] Speaker 1: I was there to support and make sure that his
[38:17] Speaker 1: values and his wishes were followed through. So on a
[38:21] Speaker 1: morning that I didn't know would be his last, I
[38:24] Speaker 1: sat by his bedside and held his hand. And he
[38:28] Speaker 1: reached up and yanked out the oxygen tube and said,
[38:33] Speaker 1: no more. And I knew exactly what he meant because
[38:37] Speaker 1: we had gone over that scenario. And because I was
[38:41] Speaker 1: there to support him, he got no argument from me. Instead,
[38:47] Speaker 1: I crawled up onto his bed and I cradled him
[38:50] Speaker 1: in my arms. I stroked him and I whispered to him, Dad,
[38:57] Speaker 1: I love you. It's okay to go. We'll be okay.
[39:03] Speaker 1: And I held him like that for an hour as
[39:06] Speaker 1: his breath got slower and more shallow. And he breathed
[39:11] Speaker 1: his last breath. That was my last gift to him.
[39:17] Speaker 1: And it was his last gift to me. And you'll
[39:20] Speaker 1: understand why in a moment. It was his most profound
[39:23] Speaker 1: gift to me. You may be afraid when you hear
[39:27] Speaker 1: that your loved one is dying. You may not know
[39:31] Speaker 1: what to do or what to say. You may be
[39:33] Speaker 1: afraid you're going to do the wrong thing. But I'm
[39:37] Speaker 1: telling you, I'm asking you, I'm encouraging you just to participate,
[39:42] Speaker 1: to bring an open heart to the experience, to lean
[39:46] Speaker 1: into them instead of talking to them from the doorway.
[39:51] Speaker 1: Just participate. Because while you're afraid, the dying are afraid too.
[39:58] Speaker 1: But would you like to know what the dying are
[40:00] Speaker 1: most afraid of? It will surprise you. The research, the
[40:06] Speaker 1: dying that I have spoken with, tell me that it
[40:10] Speaker 1: is not their imminent death that they're most afraid of. No, no.
[40:15] Speaker 1: Because as illness takes our body and as the quality
[40:20] Speaker 1: of our life degenerates to such a point that it
[40:23] Speaker 1: cannot be reversed. Death is no longer the enemy. And
[40:27] Speaker 1: the dying come to a level of acceptance. And the
[40:32] Speaker 1: dying do not fear most their physical pain. Because in
[40:37] Speaker 1: today's age, with medicine and palliative care, comfort care medicine,
[40:42] Speaker 1: and the interventions of hospice, we can alleviate physical suffering.
[40:49] Speaker 1: What the dying are most afraid of is being emotionally abandoned,
[40:56] Speaker 1: of not having you there with them, of no longer
[41:00] Speaker 1: feeling connected to their loved ones, of no longer feeling valued.
[41:06] Speaker 1: So here's what the dying have taught me. They've taught
[41:09] Speaker 1: me a lot. What I want to leave you with
[41:11] Speaker 1: today are three important things. The dying need you. to
[41:18] Speaker 1: listen to them. They need you to listen to that
[41:22] Speaker 1: same story you may have heard 100 times, but that
[41:25] Speaker 1: story is important to them because it helps them to
[41:28] Speaker 1: sort through their life and to find meaning, to process
[41:33] Speaker 1: their feelings, and to finish business. They need you to
[41:36] Speaker 1: listen to them without judgment. Are they dying right? They
[41:41] Speaker 1: need you to listen to them without assumptions, really listening
[41:45] Speaker 1: to them openly. So that who they are today is
[41:49] Speaker 1: okay and it may be different than who they were yesterday.
[41:53] Speaker 1: And listen without comparisons. And listening well means that we
[41:59] Speaker 1: are comfortable with silence. We don't fill the room with
[42:02] Speaker 1: chatter and things that are inconsequential now. We are just
[42:06] Speaker 1: present with them. Second, the dying need you to touch them. Touch,
[42:14] Speaker 1: because at the end of life, they so often feel ugly, untouchable, undesirable.
[42:22] Speaker 1: And what they really need is for you to go
[42:25] Speaker 1: to them and communicate through your touch that they are
[42:29] Speaker 1: still the same person you have always loved. So touch,
[42:36] Speaker 1: hold their hand, massage their back, comb her hair, stroke
[42:41] Speaker 1: his arm. but touch because touch communicates so beyond words
[42:47] Speaker 1: when we can't find the words. And third, the dying
[42:52] Speaker 1: needs you to give them permission to let go. They
[42:57] Speaker 1: need to know from you that their death is not
[43:00] Speaker 1: a failure and their death is not abandonment. So in
[43:05] Speaker 1: whatever words you can find, communicate to them, that you
[43:09] Speaker 1: will be okay, that it's okay for them to go on.
[43:15] Speaker 1: There's a ripple effect when we care and offer compassion
[43:19] Speaker 1: in this way. It matters to the dying person, to
[43:23] Speaker 1: those of us who are caretaking and grieving, and it
[43:26] Speaker 1: matters to the next generation. That next generation and the
[43:30] Speaker 1: generation and the generation will now have reduced fears about
[43:36] Speaker 1: death because they'll see you near it. They'll have less
[43:40] Speaker 1: myths and assumptions about it. And when it's your time
[43:44] Speaker 1: to die, they will be there for you because you
[43:47] Speaker 1: showed them how. I'd like to end with a story
[43:52] Speaker 1: that illustrates the ripple effect of how multiple generations can
[43:56] Speaker 1: come together. Recently, my mother-in-law called and told us that
[44:00] Speaker 1: she was dying and there was nothing more that could
[44:02] Speaker 1: be done. So we flew across the country to be
[44:05] Speaker 1: with her. We asked Nana what she needed, what she wanted.
[44:10] Speaker 1: Nana said that she wanted to die at home. She
[44:13] Speaker 1: wanted to be surrounded by her family. And when it
[44:16] Speaker 1: was her time to go, she didn't want any arguments.
[44:20] Speaker 1: So we brought her home with hospice. We set her
[44:22] Speaker 1: up at a bed in front of a picture window
[44:24] Speaker 1: so that she could look out on her favorite garden.
[44:27] Speaker 1: We called all 25 family members in from around the country.
[44:32] Speaker 1: And when they were there, we each took time alone
[44:34] Speaker 1: with her to listen to her stories. to what was
[44:37] Speaker 1: important to her. We touched her. We cared for her.
[44:41] Speaker 1: We sat up all night and stood watch over her.
[44:45] Speaker 1: And after she had spoken with each one of us,
[44:48] Speaker 1: she said she was ready to die. So we all
[44:52] Speaker 1: came together, almost a sacred circle of silence, and stood
[44:57] Speaker 1: around her, and we waited. And it wasn't too much longer.
[45:02] Speaker 1: But a son-in-law was at the foot of her bed,
[45:05] Speaker 1: softly playing a guitar, and a daughter at the head
[45:09] Speaker 1: of her bed, humming her favorite hymn, one grandchild holding
[45:13] Speaker 1: this hand and another grandchild holding this, and we waited.
[45:19] Speaker 1: And soon afterward, she took her last breath. And out
[45:24] Speaker 1: from this silence, with tears streaming over our cheeks, the
[45:29] Speaker 1: littlest voice from the youngest grandchild piped up and said,
[45:36] Speaker 1: you know, dying's not so bad. When it's my time
[45:39] Speaker 1: to go, I hope I get to die just like Nana.
[45:45] Speaker 1: So I bring to you the gifts from the dying
[45:48] Speaker 1: because I believe that you can make a difference and
[45:52] Speaker 1: I know you want to. My hope for you is
[45:55] Speaker 1: that in the end that you remember the love and
[45:59] Speaker 1: not the loss And you are filled with a gratitude
[46:03] Speaker 1: rather than grief. I know you can make a difference.
[46:07] Speaker 1: And I trust that you will. Thank you.
[46:12] Speaker 3: Thank you, Dr. Leary. I know it's really hard to
[46:15] Speaker 3: think about death. And our ego minds certainly don't want
[46:19] Speaker 3: us to go. But if there's one thing I want
[46:22] Speaker 3: you to carry with you from today, it's to slow
[46:25] Speaker 3: down and have some peace. We don't need to fear death.
[46:29] Speaker 3: Stay present as much as you can in life, with
[46:32] Speaker 3: kindness in your hearts. I know death feels like a tragedy,
[46:36] Speaker 3: and the more we love, the more it does hurt.
[46:39] Speaker 3: But death is not the end of our story. It's
[46:43] Speaker 3: simply a change of address. The people we love are
[46:47] Speaker 3: still themselves, with their sense of humor included. If this
[46:51] Speaker 3: episode's made a difference, please feel free to share. We
[46:54] Speaker 3: never know who's going through such a hard time. And
[46:58] Speaker 3: hearing your words or some insights about the afterlife or
[47:01] Speaker 3: these near-death experiences may just help. Don't forget to come
[47:05] Speaker 3: visit me at wedontdie.com. If you enter your name and
[47:09] Speaker 3: email address at the bottom of the page, I've got
[47:11] Speaker 3: some free goodies there for you, including a copy of
[47:14] Speaker 3: my book. We've got some great films. You can join
[47:17] Speaker 3: me on our free Sunday gathering inspirational service on Zoom.
[47:21] Speaker 3: It has a live medium demonstration on each and every one.
[47:25] Speaker 3: So until next time, please remember, love never dies. Your
[47:29] Speaker 3: loved ones are having the time of their lives right
[47:32] Speaker 3: now in the afterlife. But I do know they're keeping
[47:36] Speaker 3: one eye on you always, cheering you on every single
[47:40] Speaker 3: step of the way. I'm Sandra Champlain. Thank you so
[47:44] Speaker 3: much for listening to Shades of the Afterlife on the
[47:47] Speaker 3: iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM. Paranormal Podcast Network.
[48:00] Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to the iHeart Radio and Coast to
[48:02] Speaker 2: Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. Make sure and check out
[48:06] Speaker 2: all our shows on the iHeart Radio app or by
[48:09] Speaker 2: going to iHeartRadio.com.

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