In March 2022 my epilepsy returned after thirty years without seizures. I was told my heart stopped during the worst grand mal I’ve ever had — it nearly killed me.

Well, take your pick: when I nearly drowned, if the guy who hadn't happened by and pulled me out and started CPR until paramedics arrived; or the time I had an adverse drug reaction, nearly lost all blood pressure, and the paramedics had to revive me.

A guy jumped out along the side of a house and fired a shotgun at me. I saw him just before he fired and managed to dive behind a big old oak tree, he hit the tree. My partner tackled him before he (or I) could get off another shot.

when i was 9 i walking down a very narrow trail on the mountain side to go fishing in the river below. my dad was behind me. i got a bit to close to the edge and the ground collapsed under me. don't ask me how but as i fell through i was able to grab some roots as my dad yelled my name. he hoisted me up. had i been alone i would not have been able to hoist myself up and i would have fallen probably 50 feet on the rocks below and into the river. my dad gave me a hug and told me not to tell mom of this incident

I almost got into a car with some friends in 9th grade they got into a horrible wreck about 20 minutes later after leaving my house 3 of them died, 1 survived

A near missed car collision at high speed. A guy was driving the wrong way on a highway. In my lane.

Heart attack

I was raped and beaten, back in 1994. went to the police and hospital. Terrified that I had caught AIDS, which was the big bad scary thing for my generation.

3 months of, pretty much, being a basket case and thinking that I was going to die. Thankfully everything came back as clear and I could rebuild my life.

I was born premature and in the days after my birth my parents and the doctors weren’t sure if I would survive so they baptised me in the hospital. Thankfully, I grew healthy and here I am.

When I had cancer and lost 85 pounds in 4 months and couldn’t use a feeding tube because everything came right back up

When I broke my neck in a car accident.

I had a dka incident where my sugars went down to 56 if they wouldn't have got it back up I probably would have went into a coma and died.
At the same time I had pneumonia and sepsis.
That was November 2025

7 years old, on summer break, Mom yells "look both ways."
She and her friend are now 2 blocks behind us.

My friend & I cross
a fast inner city through-road,
on our bikes.
No one looks Left or Right.

Roar of rubber on asphalt....BANG.

I was 2 seconds ahead of him. 2 seconds decided he'd get hit, instead of me.

He shattered the windshield of a giant 70s Cadillac with his head, in a 35 zone.
Rushed to a children's hospital like St. Jude's with a fractured skull.
Spent 2 weeks, then made a surprise visit on his release.
I was so happy to have my friend back alive.

40 years later, I've no memory beyond standing over his unconscious body, tangled in the bike frame,
thinking: "so this is what a dead person looks like."
Then came a mournful wail of distant sirens: firetrucks. That's where everything goes blank.

Death brushed past us, that sunny day; then carried on.
Reminding 2 foolish boys that no one is too young to be taken.


We were incredibly fortunate.

My best friend looked up to me; followed my lead. And I lead him into that.
I still carry the weight of that responsibility to this day.

I walked up Mount Snowdon in the summer. At the top i could only see a few inches ahead as the mist waa so thick. I looked down and realised i was standing on the edge of a broken 4snowpile and my footprints were the only ones there. If I'd not looked down and taken another step, I'd have gone over.

combat... one or two incidents...

I don't know for sure,but narrowly avoiding being struck by a speeding cab on a crosswalk could have been it.

During surgery in 2008 I had an allergic reaction to the anesthetic and both my breathing and heart stopped. Obviously the doctors got everything going again, but they told my parents and my best friend (who was with them) before I found out, which felt weird.

I came down with a case of spinal meningitis as a kid. I spent some time in the hospital, but don't remember how much.

The doctors were so sure I was as good as dead that they suggested bringing in a priest to say my last rites

Actually dying a few times and returning.

Had serious breathing problem after surgery

Sepsis

Was born premature, so that was a close one, another time I got stuck in the middle of a wide river during a thunderstorm, while holding onto this post. I was exhausted and my feet and shins and knees were all sliced up from these damned oysters. And I kept getting stung by these jellyfish and the water was really rough. I remember at the time being alright with the idea of being dead, since I was pretty sure the next couple of months were going to be hell, AND THEY WERE!!!! But it was still scary and my body and brain was in total panic, adrenaline survival mode, so the dying would have been awful. But so often in the months to come I was like FOR FUCK SAKE!!! I should have just died in the river and been done with it. All the family problems, the smashed up house I was living in and repairing, my insane cousin, throwing most of the shit I owned away, rehoming most of my pets. Not bashing my cousin's head in with a small baseball bat that I didn't even know I'd picked up, he was going off his head as usual and I was calmly laying things out to him. And then there was the bat in my hand, it felt so safe and calming in my hand. Gripping that wood made me feel calm, my poor wife thought I was going to bash his head in. But nope, I got away from him, my family, the busted up house and we just left. Oh, the neighbours going berserk about the construction noise, that was a laugh. And I could see it all coming while I was clinging onto that post out in the middle of the river with the storm all around. Just die there and I'd be saved from it all, but the storm subsided and I swam back to shore to my friend who thought I'd drowned.

I've had two close encounters with the worlds #2 most dangerous snake. Once when I was like 5 and it slithered across my foot. Another when I was a teen, throwing rock at the beach and the snake was under the rock.

They told me my heart stopped for 3-5 minutes when I was having surgery. When I was 8.

I fell of the Jetty on my bike narrowly missing a rusted sharp pole. A few months after the surgery.

wandering onto the sw images section 🤮

Running with the bulls in Pamplona - 😳
so I did it again. 🤓

Accident

I was in a coma for a couple of days thanks to neurosarcoidosis in 2010.

I got caught in a current...it took my shoes. I swam out of it

Since i was 13 i have had cancer. I go for years with nothing showing and then out of the blue it comes back. Twice i have nearly not made it. !st time the stitches came open in the night and i nearly bleed to death.

2 slit wrist and 7-9 overdoses.

When I had my psychotic episode, the police were called to perform a "welfare check". I was psychotic and thought they were serial killers. Eventually they broke the door down, found me hiding, and decided to tase me, and because of my psychosis, I thought the taser was a real gun. When they tased me, I thought they shot me and I was in the process of painfully dying. I didn't see any light or see my life flash before my eyes. I did feel a sense of closure and sort of just accepted my fate. Thankfully, it wasn't the end, and I was probably more likely to die when multiple of them were kneeling on me like George Floyd.

idk there were probably days and things i was at risk and didn't even know but the closest i ever felt to death was in my 20's..

I hit a truck on my motorcycle in 84 and had internal bleeding in 2013 that was no fun felt weak and sick but recovered. Was finally given 2 units of blood and was amazed how it brought me back to life so quickly

Having my open-heart surgery. It was a 50/50 chance of survival because I had congestive heart failure unless they replaced my mitral valve.

I took a lot of drugs and alcohol. Later I walked into the ocean and got caught by the current.

My brother and I both almost drowned at the same time.
We we got too close to a waterfall and got sucked under some rocks.

Fat chick fell asleep on top of me

1. Crossed a rail track while the train was coming with full speed and was just 100 meters. I just escaped with 1 or less meter, felt the gust.
2. During my illness when I was almost unconscious, my mother saw some men in black robes standing besides my bed in the day time.
3. During my first brain surgery I had out of body experience, saw myself being operated in OT from 10 foot apart.

Death is the truth that we easily forget while living.

Had a few close calls with epilepsy and seizures

Birth...

I'm not totally sure. I used to have something they told me was 'vasovagal syncopy' which is a fancy name for fainting.

In reality, my breathing and heartbeat slowly shut down till it turned off. I remember a few odd occurrences, feeling like i was in space, seeing the 'all' of the universe. I've felt the first signs of rigor morits. I've felt what its like to seemingly take a 'first breath '....fyi - it hurts like all fuckery .

I dunno if i ever reached dead Dead, but i know i lost air and hearbeat more than once for a little bit.

Edit: for me, at the time, it was never traumatic - it always happened when i was relaxing. Its like i just relaxed too much and slowly shut down.
It was the switching back on that was the traumatic part.

My car tried to kill me last year by suddenly bursting into flames very close to me.

Nearly drowned when I was 4 dad wasn't paying attention

Too many times. Even before my birth I could have died. Five times before I was 17, that I know about, possibly more.

Dying by:
1Asphyxiation before birth
2 Thrown out of a moving car. At 1.5
3 By drowning in a pool. At 5
4 By pushed out of tree onto concrete. At 8.
5 By motorcycle accident. At 16

All before 17.

Honorable mentions
1. Glass window breaks on my back. At 9
2. Dog bites my mouth, instead of my throat. At 7.

My sister-in-law once claimed that I had three guardian angels! 😆

May 30th, 2024

Ummm prolly when I tried to off myself and I started to BLEED bleed out

Being ready to go through with my intrusive thoughts, but snapping out of it at the last second bc my cat needed me.

I called the ER and got help instead.

Almost got wiped out by two cyclones / hurricanes.

Fainted at the clinic during treatment.

My friends and me stole a car when we were 15 and rolled it in a field and down a hill after hitting a tree stump

Walk.