My mother-in-law to be, was ill in hospital, at the time I was not aware of the exact diagnosis she had and I didn't know very much about Leukemia.  In fact, I expected mum to get well and be at our wedding later in that year. One morning I woke up and said to my fiance that we should go to the hospital today and not go to work.  I had a very strong feeling that we needed to see and be with mum.  Thankfully he listened and we phoned work, explained that we were not coming in that day, and went to the hospital to visit mum. When we arrived she was asleep.  Her sister was also there with her sitting in the chair in the corner of the room waiting for mum to wake up.  Mum had been hallucinating all week saying that her mother had been visiting her, her mother had been dead for a long time, so we weren't too sure what was going on with her at the time.

Andrew and I sat on chairs beside mum's bed so he could rest his arm next to mum, there was a small t.v. in the corner of the room on a table that we were watching, I was sitting behind Andrew as there wasn't much room to sit beside him. About and hour after we had been there I noticed a slight movement from mum so I turned to look at her thinking that she was going to wake up.  I looked at her and she opened her eyes and then looked up at the far right corner of the ceiling and smiled, she reached her right arm towards it as though greeting someone then closed her eyes again. 

I noticed that I couldn't hear the t.v.  I thought that maybe Andrew had turned it down.  When I looked at him he was still watching it as though he could hear it.  Then I looked at his Aunty sitting in the corner and she was asleep. I also noticed that I couldn't hear the noise which is always in the hospital, like the nurses talking, the trolleys moving around etc.  Then I looked back at mum and there was a light forming around her, the color is hard to describe but it was like a golden pale lemon color.  The light seemed to be completely around her.  Then the light started to move up towards her head and then it was completely above her.  When I looked at the light above mum I couldn't believe what I was seeing as mum was in the light, floating above her body!!   Then she moved slowly towards the corner of the room she was reaching for before, and once again stretched out her hand to greet someone, then she was gone.

I looked back at mum and noticed that I could hear the t.v. again and all the other noise in the hospital was once again loud, I stood up and said to Andrew and his Aunty, who had just woken up, "Mum's gone, she just left." I didn't know any other way to say it because that is what I saw, she hadn't died she had gone. Then all the commotion started with the nurses rushing in then the doctor came in and mum was pronounced dead. This was the first time I had ever had an experience like this, and the whole experiences is still very very clear to me, I know I saw her leave. The shock I felt afterwards, was due to the fact that I fully expected mum to get well, I never knew that she was terminally ill until well after she had died. I saw mum again about 18 months later standing in our hall way, I think she just popped in for a visit to let us know that everything was okay.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  Uncertain

The color surrounding mum is difficult to express as we have no color like that here to match it.

Did you see the deceased?         Yes

there was no difference she looked exactly as she had in life, even when she was sick in hospital she always looked healthy.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            At the hospital when she was leaving her body and again with the visit 18 months later, she was very clear but standing in the lemon light again.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       All of her.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?       She appeared to be the same age.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            She looked very healthy and happy.

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           No way, I know it was her.

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        The first experience in the hospital is hard to tell, as it was though everything had stopped moving around me. The visit at home was for about three minutes.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         The hospital one was gradual, the one at home she just appeared.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes, mum seemed very happy.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:          I know it was real, as it is all very clear to me even after 22 years, and I had never thought anything about the spirit world or life after death until this happed.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           During the experience I was curious as to what was happening, why the sound in the hospital had disappeared and watching mum leave it was an amazing experience more than anything, it is hard to describe the feelings, I wasn't scared just watching.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      All of it was incredible.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes

            Describe:      The experience and the others that I have had, have taught me that we are here to learn, all that happens to me in this life are all lessons.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes

My attitude now is spiritual, and I care more about others.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes

The experience has shown me that because our life does continue, it makes me more aware of what I do while I am here and that we are answerable for all that we do.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?        Yes, My husband and I have made each other promise to pop in and say hi, to each other when one of us goes.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            About an hour later, I broke down as the reality of mum being gone had hit me, and I was having a hard time accepting that what I had seen in the hospital, I was more in the grieving emotion of loosing her.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes

As mentioned before, it was as though everything had stopped moving.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         Yes

I am more aware of the spiritual realm, and also can pick up on how people are feeling.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Uncertain

I don't know what was happening to me at the time, it was as though time had stopped while mum was leaving her body, I knew I was sitting in the chair next to her bed, but I wasn't sure exactly where I was.

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?            Yes

I have met quite a few over the past 22 years, especially people I have cared for whilst volunteering in a palliative care unit.

Did you see a light?           Yes, the pale gold lemon one.

Have you shared this experience with others?        

Yes

I have only shared it with those I trust and because they know me they believe me, the only influence it seems to have given them is their belief in an after-life.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               No, I can't fully describe it in words, the color