Man who died for 10 minutes reveals what it felt like when he came back to life

Matthew, who was generally healthy, began to feel unwell at the end of August 2023. He experienced shortness of breath and swelling in his feet, but assumed the changes were because of his new night-shift schedule. The seriousness of his condition became clear when he was unable to climb a single step at work. Realizing something was very wrong, he asked a friend to call an ambulance.

At the hospital, Matthew told a doctor that although he hadn’t felt much pain before, it suddenly became unbearable. He described it as “11 out of 10” and then “13,” before collapsing. His heart stopped completely due to a pulmonary embolism—a large blood clot blocking the artery in his lungs.

For about 10 minutes, Matthew was clinically dead. Doctors used CPR and a defibrillator in an intense effort to save him, which caused internal bleeding but eventually revived him. He was placed in a coma and later woke up, fully conscious but with some memory issues.

Matthew says he has no recollection of being dead, but he clearly remembers what it felt like waking up. To him, it felt like a long, peaceful sleep. He described it as calm and quiet, without fear or pain.

Scans later showed he had blood clots in his heart and lungs the size of a cricket ball. Surgeons quickly removed them, and doctors credit blood transfusions as a vital part of saving his life.

Now recovering, Matthew says he is about 75 percent back to his old self. He will need to take blood thinners for the rest of his life but is grateful for his survival and the support he received from his family, friends, and loved ones, who visited him constantly in hospital.

His experience has inspired him to raise awareness about the importance of blood donation, especially among Black heritage communities, where there is a greater need for ethnically matched blood.

Reflecting on his ordeal, Matthew said he feels incredibly lucky to be alive and deeply thankful to the people who helped him through the most difficult moment of his life.