A Virginia resident, Lauren Canaday, 39, who went into cardiac arrest and was revived with the help of a defibrillator, described a deep warmth as she reflected on the 24 minutes she was clinically dead.
Canaday, who has treated epilepsy with medications for years, suffered a grand mal seizure at her home eight months ago, which led to loss of consciousness, as reported by Newsweek.
When her husband discovered, she had already turned blue. He immediately called 911 and performed CPR, a crucial action that kept oxygen flowing to her brain, potentially saving her life.
Medical workers administered four shocks to successfully restart Canaday’s heart. Subsequent hospital tests confirmed her positive Covid-19 status, suggesting the viral infection may have led to the cardiac arrest. Doctors indicated she was likely suffering from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, which is known to occur as a complication of Covid infections.
Despite being unconscious during the event, Canaday reported no visions but emerged from the ordeal with a deep sense of peace.
“I feel like it was friendly and peaceful, even though I can’t report any form, persona or vision from that time,” Canaday said. “I feel like I’ve been resolved, and it’s just been really fun.”
Canaday returned home after just nine days in the hospital. Despite her relatively quick recovery, she said there were still frustrations along the way.
She suffered from short-term memory loss for the first few days “and didn’t understand what was going on,” she recalls.
Still, she was grateful that follow-up MRI scans showed no permanent brain damage. And the incident also gave her a mental reset.
“I remember a lot of very serene moments in and after the hospital, as if the worries I had before didn’t matter, and I would get crazy excited about things like cheeseburgers. It just felt really simple,” she said.
About 1,000 people a day suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, and only about 10% of these patients will survive, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation told Newsweek.
Canaday said she doesn’t take anything for granted, adding that her life goals have now become clear: She said her new mission is to make even small improvements in the world and help the people she meets along the way.
“I feel like this is my second life. It feels like I have two birthdays,” she said. “In my first life I was very individualistic and strong. In this life I have a very different worldview and – most of the time – I feel comfortable being dependent on others.”
