• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Man who briefly died during surgery revealed who he saw in the operating room that left him shocked

Home> News> Health

Published 19:06 3 Jun 2025 GMT+1

Man who briefly died during surgery revealed who he saw in the operating room that left him shocked

Mike McKinsey died on the operating table for as long as 45 minutes and what he saw was incredible

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

A man who died during surgery before being resuscitated has reflected on the incredible moment he saw a person standing over him.

Californian Mike McKinsey had been complaining about experiencing a stomach issue, unbeknown to him his appendix had burst.

Three days later, on August 9, 2004, he walked into a hospital in Ventura - roughly an hour-and-a-half drive to west of Los Angeles.

Advert

While there, his outtake on life changed dramatically, after a near-death experience that he has recounted lasted 45 minutes - from the moment medical staff pronounced him dead to the moment he woke up.

"They get me ready for surgery, they start the IV, they wheel me down the hall I said goodbye to my wife, they burst open the doors of the surgery room, and I thought, 'man it's freezing in here'. But you know, I'm still 104 fever and I was sweating," McKinsey shared.

Mike McKinsey died on the operating table for as many as 45 minutes before being resuscitated (Coming Home)
Mike McKinsey died on the operating table for as many as 45 minutes before being resuscitated (Coming Home)

"But I thought, 'gosh it's so cold, I mean how do these people work in this condition?' They slide me over onto the surgical table and I thought this thing is tiny, I'm going to fall off - I felt like I had no where to put my hands.

Advert

"I look to my right and out of nowhere Jesus is standing there - the physical person, and everything else just kind of disappeared. There were no other people in the room and I look and I'm like really confused, I'm thinking, 'what is going on here?', and then I thought to myself, 'did I die?'"

He went on to explain how he had heard of people's near-death experiences and how they had floated above their body, but with this not taking place for McKinsey, he didn't think he was dead.

Computer-generated image of Jesus Christ, based on the study of the skull of a Jewish man of 1st century (Bob Collier/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
Computer-generated image of Jesus Christ, based on the study of the skull of a Jewish man of 1st century (Bob Collier/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)

Then, he met Jesus.

Advert

He continued: "I thought, you know, I've heard of people when they die they see themselves floating up above their body and I thought, I didn't do that so I must not be dead.

"But what's going on it wasn't like it was a dream, it was like heightened reality and it started right when Jesus stood there, everything was different. His skin was much darker than I'd seen as a kid - he almost looked like an Arab man.

"He was wearing a white robe, he had like wavy brown hair and he had these dark greenish-blue eyes and when those eyes looked into my eyes, he looked into my soul. I could just feel this love emanating from this man that was what convinced me that it was Jesus."

Advert

McKinsey went on to explain how he felt as if 'everything about him just radiated love', and how he held out his hands and asked him whether he wanted him to answer his prayers.

"I didn't make the connection right away but I thought I used to pray as a kid that Jesus would show me heaven," he added.

Yes, McKinsey believes he met Jesus that day more than 20 years ago - and let's hope he did!

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/cominghomechannel

Topics: Religion, US News, Health, Community, Weird

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

X

@JMYjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
7 hours ago
  • 6 hours ago

    'Fridge cigarette' trend explained as Gen Z ditches traditional smoke breaks

    The new trend is taking TikTok by storm

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Doctor reveals what you should never do in bed as he explains best way to beat insomnia

    Dr. Matthew Walker has offered some tips to curb insomnia and scrub up on your bedtime habits

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    FBI issues urgent warning to 150,000,000 US iPhone users to delete this text as soon as it appears

    Attacks on iPhones and Androids have surged more than 700 percent this month

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Surprising meaning behind people who keep waking up at the same time every night

    It's surprisingly common

    News
  • Journalist undergoes emergency surgery as shocking footage shows shooting by LAPD during anti-ICE protests
  • Priest who ‘died and went to hell’ described shocking thing he saw demons doing
  • Man who died for three minutes revealed one surprising thing after he 'saw what hell is like'
  • Former atheist reveals what he saw 'in heaven' during near-death experience that made him change his beliefs