I will never forget that night! Although my mother believes me, my grandmother says that I was just tired and hallucinating. It was the middle of the night and I had been having pain from a toothache for about a week, turns out it was an abcess. I had been awake for about 2 days, with a little sleep here and there, but not enough to say I was rested. So in all reality, I might have been hallucinating...but what happened felt SO VERY REAL!  Ok, here's the story:  It was about 2 a.m. and the toothache was killing me.  I remember holding my hand to the side of my face and thinking, "Dear God, is this pain going to get any worse? I am so tired, I just want to sleep without pain."  My mother had gone to bed and I had turned off the TV and sat in the middle of the living room floor holding my cheek, somehow holding my hand there had made it feel better but it wasn't good enough to sleep.

I had sat there for quite a while when I heard a noise.  I turned in the direction it was coming from and was looking at a section of the living room wall that had nothing on it, it was just plain white. Then there was this image. It was of a woman and she became clearer and clearer, when I could see her, I noticed she had bright shimmering blonde curly hair and ice blue eyes, she also had four women standing around her but I couldn't make them all out, one was a lady that seemed to be in her 50-60's, and the other women were very blurry although I do think one was a black lady. There was a VERY bright light behind the women. I sat there, stunned. I shook my head and thought, "Ok Sally, you're seeing things." 

The lady in front started talking to me although her lips never moved. She told me everything would be allright and I would be able to sleep and the dentist appointment that I was going to have to wait for a month to get, would come through within the next few days. I said outloud, "Huh? No, they are booked." She repeated what she had said earlier and said, "I will make the pain subside so you can sleep, although it will still be there, you will be able to sleep."  And with that, she reached out and pulled my hand away, touched my cheek and it felt very hot. She pulled her hand back and said, "You're going to get some sleep soon."  The pain was gone! I remember I sat there with my mouth open and then I said, in my mind, 'Who are you?' She said, "We are your angels and we are always with you, each one of us has a role to play for you and when you need us, we are here, although you won't always see us." 

I asked her if she had been alive once and she said her name was Carolyn Anderson, she had lived in Colonial Heights, Virginia and she died in an auto accident with her nine year old daughter when she was 32 years old. And what was so sad, was I could see the scene of a mangled wreck when she said that. There was another woman who spoke up and said, "My name was Arlena Maxwell, I lived in Stafford (no state specified) and died of a heart attack when I was 56 years old. She seemed to have salt and pepper hair and looked very pleasant from what I could see. Things seemed to get fuzzy and the women started to fade. Carolyn said, "Don't worry, you will be okay. Go to sleep now, the dentist will be calling tomorrow." 

I said, 'Wait, don't go. I want to know more.' She just smiled and faded away. I stared at the wall for a long time, trying to somehow will them to come back. Finally, I looked at the pillow on the floor, grabbed it, laid down and went to sleep, pain free.  When I woke up the next day, the phone was ringing, it was the dentist office saying there was a cancellation for two days later. I accepted it and promptly freaked out when I laid the phone down. I told my mom everything and she said, "Well, hon, looks like you've got a lot of people looking after you, did you thank them?"  That's when I remembered, I never thanked them. 

I've spent all of this time since then, wishing I could see them to thank them.  What is strange, is I can't recall the date that this happened for sure. Life has gone on and I started driving an 18 wheeler in 1999, one of my runs took me through Virginia where I found a sign that said, "Colonial Heights". I recalled Carolyn and wondered if I would ever be able to find out if this person REALLY existed. I didn't even know the town existed, so I thought that was an eerie coincidence. Through a few computer searches, I never found a record of Carolyn's accident or death, but there seem to be quite a few Anderson's in Colonial Heights. I often wonder how I will find the real proof that she existed. And I also feel a sort of emptiness that I'll probably never learn about the other women. There is a town not far from here called Stafford, but I never learned found anything about Arlena there. So, that is what happened. I know it was real, I just need to prove it to my grandmother and to the small part of me that wonders what that experience meant in the realm of existence.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?     No

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          No

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?           Like I said, I had very little sleep for 2 days prior.  But I know it was real.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No, I was awake, just tired and in pain.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Awe, happiness, confusion, bewilderment, curiosity, excitement and sadness when they left.

Did you hear any unusual sounds or noises?           Yes, there was a noise that I assume they made to get my attention, it came from the direction that they appeared.

LOCATION DESCRIPTION:  Did you recognize any familiar locations or any locations from familiar religious teachings or encounter any locations inhabited by incredible or amazing creatures?    No

Did you see a light?           Yes

YES!  It was a VERY bright white light that illuminated behind them and made Carolyn's hair shimmer like diamonds!

Did you meet or see any other beings?           Yes

There was the 5 women, I could only make out Carolyn and a little bit of Arlena, the others were blurry, but I knew they were there.

Did you experiment while out of the body or in another, altered state? NoDid you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later? Yes

Well, I'm trying to verify Carolyn and Arlena's existence, I just don't know how to do it.

Did you notice how your 5 senses were working, and if so, how were they different?          Yes

I could see Carolyn clearly, but only from the waist up. Communication was through our minds, her lips never moved although I could hear her as if her lips were moving. I definitely felt a hand touch my face, because it was hot.

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

I have no idea how long it lasted.

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Yes

When Carolyn and Arlena told me about themselves, I believed it.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?             No

Did you become aware of future events?       Yes

She said the doctor's office would call, and they did.

Were you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the body?       No response

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

I do experience deja vu every now and then and sometimes I know what will happen before it does happen, but I guess everyone is like that at one time or another.

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

I learned in death we can still communicate with the living.

How has the experience affected your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices?       I feel like I'm not as alone as I thought. At first, it really fascinated me, then I wondered what people would think if I told, so I never did.  My mom and grandmother are the only ones who know.

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

I now believe we keep living in a sense, which has caused great spiritual debate for me. I do not go to the church that I was raised in, I believe that everyone is trying to get to the same place and I plan to read the Bible and make my own interpretations.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes

My mom believes it really happened.  My grandmother thinks I was just tired and hallucinating.

What emotions did you experience following your experience?  Awe, happiness, sadness, curiosity and envy-I hope I can be an angel too someday.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      What Carolyn said would happen, happened. My mom believing me was great.  The worst part was not being able to talk about it with everyone, I thought it was wonderful, but I think people would have thought I was nutty.

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        no

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No

But I wish I could!

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes