>>> BEFORE WE HAD THE NEWS OF ARETHA FRANKLIN'S PASSING WE HAD PLANNED THIS SHOW ON WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE. AS WE MOURN THE QUEEN OF SOUL, IT SEEMS A PARTICULARLY GOOD TIME TO ASK, IS THERE SOMETHING MORE? SOMETHING ON THE OTHER SIDE. "TODAY" SHOW TRIES TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. MY FIRST GUEST, SHERRY WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER WEEKS OF FEELING SHORT OF BREATH. JUST 10 MINUTES AFTER SHE ARRIVED, SHE FLAT LINED IN HER HUSBAND'S ARMS. SHERRY WAS DEAD FOR 90 MINUTES BUT MIRACULOUSLY CAME BACK TO LIFE AND NOW HAS A PROFOUND NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE TO SHARE. WATCH. IN EARLY 2008, SHERRY WAS LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST. >> I REALLY WAS LIVING A REALLY WONDERFUL LIFE IN MY 20s MAKING GOOD MONEY, EXPERIENCING FREEDOM, AND REALLY FEELING ONTON OF THE WORLD. >> SHERRY'S GOOD LIFE CAME TO HALT LATER THAT YEAR WHEN SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HODGKINS LYMPHOMA. >> WAITED UNTIL THE DOOR WAS CLOSED, SAT DOWN. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP. THAT'S WHEN HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, YOU HAVE CANCER. >> SHE IMMEDIATELY UNDERWENT FOUR INTENSIVE ROUNDS OF CHEMOTHERAPY, CRIPPLING HER BODY. >> THERE'S NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHAT THAT CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT WAS LIKE. IT WAS SO EXTREME. I WOULD NOT WISH THOSE SIDE EFFECTS ON ANYBODY. >> AFTER BATTLING THE DISEASE FOR THREE MONTHS, HER CANCER WENT INTO REMISSION AND SHE WAS DECLARED CANCER-FREE. >> IT'S AN INCREDIBLE FEELING TO GO IN FOR THOSE TESTS AND REALIZE THEY ARE SAYING IT'S SHRINKING. >> IN APRIL OF 2010, SHERRY SUFFERED ANOTHER SETBACK, CARDIAC ARREST. >> THE DOCTORS WERE RUSHED IN. THEY IMMEDIATELY PERFORMED CPR. WITHIN THE FIRST FIVE, TEN MINUTES WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND READY TO CALL MY TIME OF DEATH. >> ONE DOCTOR ORDERED CPR TO CONTINUE. >> HE JUST TURNED INTO A DRILL SERGEANT, AND HE TOLD EVERYBODY WHAT TO DO. THEY DID CHEST COMPRESSIONS OVER 90 MINUTES, STILL WITHOUT SUCCESS. >> SHE WAS PUT ON LIFE SUPPORT AND RUSHED TO NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL AND UNDERWENT OPEN-HEART SURGERY. >> I KNEW I WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE. I KNEW I HAD DIED. I WOULD SAY INSTANTANEOUSLY WHEN I FLAT LINED I IMMEDIATELY CROSSED INTO INTO THIS OTHER REALM. I REMEMBER MY BODY FLOATING IN THIS WHITE SPACE. I FELT AS LIGHT AS A FEATHER. HE FELT FREE. >> SHERRY JOINS US NOW. SHERRY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> SO CAN WE -- LET'S GO TO THAT MOMENT IN THE HOSPITAL WHERE YOU WERE FLAT LINING. THEY SAY THAT'S THE MOMENT YOU ARE DEAD, YOUR HEART IS NOT WORKING, YOUR HEART IS NOT PUMPING. IS IT TRUE THEY WANTED TO STOP CPR. THERE WAS THE ONE DOCTOR WHO SAID, UH-UH. >> THEY WERE READY TO CALL MY TIME OF DEATH. EVERYBODY IN THAT STAFF, IN THAT ROOM, THE EMERGENCY ROOM, THEY WERE READY TO CALL MY TIME OF DEATH. ONE LAN MATT ROOM SAID, NO, WE'RE NOT LOSING HER AND ORDERED EVERYBODY, LIKE A DRILL SERGEANT, ACCORDING TO MY FATHER, TO CONTINUE WITH CPR. WHAT THEY HAD TO DO WAS CONTINUE IT LONG ENOUGH FOR HIM TO INSTALL TEMPORARY LIFE SUPPORT. >> WHAT IS THE FIRST MEMORY YOU HAVE OF YOUR OTHER WORLDLY EXPERIENCE? >> YEAH. IT WAS PRETTY INSTANTANEOUS FOR ME. I REMEMBER ONE MINUTE BEING IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT MINUTE BEING LIKE, I DIED. I KNEW IMMEDIATELY I WAS IN THIS WHITE SPACE WHERE I FELT LIKE I WAS FORMLESS. I FELT LIGHT AS A FEATHER. I FELT FREE. I REMEMBER FEELING REALLY FREE OF THE BURDENS OF EVERY DAY LIFE. >> WAS THERE A FEELING OF PANIC AT ALL? I'VE DIED. OH, MY GOD, I'VE DIED. >> IT WAS MORE, WOW, THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL. >> REALLY? >> YEAH. >> YOU REMEMBER THAT? >> ABSOLUTELY. >> WAS IT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE YOU WERE ABOVE THE ROOM. >> IT WASN'T LIKE AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE, I LITERALLY WAS IN A WHOLE OTHER REALM. I WAS NO LONGER IN THE PHYSICAL HOSPITAL ROOM, I WAS COMPLETELY IN ANOTHER REALM. I ACTUALLY FELT CONNECTED TO MY FAMILY ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND I FELT CONNECTED TO THE HEAVENS. SO THERE WAS NO DISTINCTION OF, OKAY, I'M DEAD AND IN THIS OTHER WORLD, IT WAS MORE I JUST GRACEFULLY WALKED THROUGH THIS TORE AND MADE THIS BEAUTIFUL TRANSITION INTO ANOTHER REALM. >> SO THERE'S MUCH MORE TO HER EXPERIENCE AND WHAT HAPPENED IN THOSE MOMENTS, INCLUDING AN >>> I'M BACK NOW WITH SHERRY WHO SAYS SHE HAD A LIFE CHANGING NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE DURING CARDIAC ARREST WHEN SHE WAS DEAD FOR 90 MINUTES. SO SHERRY, I KNOW YOU'VE SAID THAT IN THE MOMENT IT FELT LIKE YOU DID A LIFE REVIEW. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? >> YEAH. IT'S FUNNY, BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY WASN'T JUST A LIFE REVIEW OF MY CURRENT LIFE, IT WAS ACTUALLY A LIFE REVIEW OF ANY EXPERIENCE MY SOUL HAD EVER UNDER GONE, WHICH IS SO CRAZY, SO CRAZY TO ME. >> DID YOU BELIEVE IN PAST LIVES PRIOR TO THAT MOMENT. >> I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE WAS UNTIL I GOT BACK. THIS WAS ALL VERY FOREIGN TO ME. I HAD HEARD MAYBE OF PEOPLE THAT HAD HAD AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THIS MEANT. SO YEAH, THIS WAS DEFINITELY VERY, VERY FOREIGN FOR ME. >> DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GOT A WINDOW INTO PRIOR LIVES? >> ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, THE BIGGEST THING I REALLY LEARNED WAS, I LEARNED -- YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE HAVE THIS COMMON RECURRING THEME THAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR LIVES, WHETHER IT'S POOR FINANCES OR RELATIONSHIP TROUBLE, I GOT TO LEARN DURING MY LIFETIME REVIEWS WHAT THAT COMMON THEME WAS AND HOW TO CLEAR IT. >> WOW. >> WHAT HAPPENED WAS, IT WAS ATTACHING TO MY SOUL DURING EVERY LIFETIME. >> I'M SORRY, BUT I BELIEVE THAT. I FEEL LIKE THAT'S PART OF KARMA. YOU KEEP GETTING THE CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT AND EVENTUALLY HOPEFULLY YOU DO AND MOVE ONTO THE NEXT PLANE. I REALLY THINK THERE'S SOMETHING TO THAT. >> YES. >> THE NOTION OF BEING DEAD BUT NOT DEAD IS CONFUSING TO PEOPLE. >> YEAH. >> WE HAVE A DOCTOR HERE, HIS NAME IS DR. SAM PARNIA, AUTHOR OF "ERASING DEATH" WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA, DOC. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. >> PLEASURE. >> HOW COULD SHE BE DEAD BUT NOT DEAD FOR 90 MINUTES. >> IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION, OF COURSE. THE REALITY IS WE ALL HAVE A PERCEPTION OF DEATH. THIS GOES BACK MILLENNIA, DEATH IS A MOMENT. YOU'RE EITHER ALIVE OR DEAD. THE REASON WE THINK THAT, WHEN THE HEART STOPS, YOU HAVE NO MORE BLOOD FLOWING INTO YOUR BRAIN, ORGANS, BRAIN SHUTS DOWN, A PERSON ISS LIFELESS, MOTIONLESS, DEAD. EVEN IF YOU DO BACK TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION WHEN SOMEBODY LOST THEIR HEAD, THERE'S NO MORE BLOOD GETTING TO THE BRAIN AND IT SHUTS. WHAT'S AMAZING 50 OR 60 YEARS AGO WE FOUND CPR. WE FOUND YOU COULD ARTIFICIALLY PRODUCE CIRCULATION, GET BLOOD FLOWING AROUND THE BODY EVEN AFTER A PERSON DIED. THAT MADE OUR DEFINITION SZ MORE AMBIGUOUS. WHAT IS MORE INTERESTING, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S ONLY AFTER A PERSON DIED, WHICH MAKES PERFECT SENSE, THE CELLS INSIDE THE BODY START TO UNDERGO THEIR OWN PROCESS OF DEATH. SO WHEN SOMEBODY'S HEART STOPS, IT'S ONLY THEN THAT THE CELLS WILL START TO DIE. THAT PROCESS TAKES MANY HOURS, POSSIBLY DAYS. >> HOW HAS YOUR OUTLOOK ON DEATH AND LIFE CHANGED AS A RESULT OF THIS EXPERIENCE? >> I AM DEFINITELY NO LONGER AFRAID OF DEATH. THAT WAS SOMETHING I HAD FEARED MY ENTIRE LIFE. WHAT I LEARNED IS THAT THAT FEAR OF DEATH REALLY PREVENTS YOU FROM TRULY LIVING. AND SO IF YOU WERE TO KNOW ME PRIOR TO MY NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE AND NOW, IT'S LIKE I'M TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. I LIVED PRE-NEAR DEATH, I LIVED MY LIFE -- ALL MY DECISIONS WERE BASED AROUND FEAR. FEAR OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THOUGHT, FEAR OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD SAY, FEAR OF NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH, OR FEAR OF BEING UNWORTHY. EVEN THOUGH I WAS SUCCESSFUL IN MY EARLIER YEARS, EVERY DECISION WAS STILL BASED UPON THAT. NOW I FLIPPED THE SCRIPT. I'M DOING EVERYTHING DIFFERENT. >> I LOVE THAT. I COMPLETELY BELIEVE IN THAT. I THINK IF YOU'RE MAKING DECISIONS OUT OF FEAR IN GENERAL, YOU'RE MAKING THEM OUT OF THE WRONG PLACE. I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE WELL. YOU GOT YOUR NEW HEART. YOU GOT YOUR NEW HEART. YOU LOOK AMAZING.
Wow, love this so much.