I was in my last year of college and had just started working as a junior software engineer in a big corporation. I was enthusiastic and young and willing to make a difference so I was putting in long hours. One evening after almost everyone else left home I used the office phone to call home. My mother answered the call and we had a chat about how were things going and so on. She wanted to put my grandmother on but I declined since I was going to be home in about a week so I thought we'd talk then. The conversation ended, a few more days went by and everything was set for me to go home after the Christmas party. It was my first Christmas party with the company so I was eager to go, as there would be an open bar and so on.

I went to the Christmas party but something seemed off. I just couldn't have fun so I had a few drinks too many, got wasted and went home to sleep. The next day my phone rang: my father told me to sit down and keep calm before he broke the news to me: grandmother had a stroke and she was in the hospital. I took the earliest train home and went straight to the hospital. My grandmother was semi-conscious and didn't recognize anyone. I cried and apologized to her about didn't want to talk to her that evening. Eventually she died a month later, in January 2005. At her funeral I cried again and told her, as she laid there dead in the church that I was sorry about not talking to her that evening. Then things started to happen: even though it was a harsh winter, that day the sun came from behind the clouds. It was the only sunny day after days of snowing, but we didn't think of it until later that year. And after a few more days since her funerals I was still in tears. One day I went to sleep as usual. I don't remember anything else but the following: I was like I was just waking up because I could hear two female voices in the kitchen. As I was waking up I was starting to realize that the voices were of my grandmother and of another old lady friend of hers who had died just a few weeks before her. As I was making my way to the kitchen the old lady was gone and I could see my grandmother standing up from a chair and starting to fade, just like fog clearing up. I asked, 'Grandma, you came to visit me! But wait, why are you going already? Have a seat, so we can talk!' to which she replied: 'My dear child, I can't stay anymore, but you get up, get dressed and go to work...'. It was then when I really woke up and burst into tears. My then girlfriend woke up too and was very confused about why was I crying and tried to comfort me. I could only tell her 'She was here, she forgave me for not talking to her!'. After a few more years, about a year after breaking up with my girlfriend and having a very hard time living the day to day life, my grandmother appeared again, this time she didn't say anything, but I understood that things will be ok, I just needed to be patient. Two years later I got married.

At the time of your experience was there an associated life-threatening event?   No 

Was the experience difficult to express in words?  No    

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?      At the end

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness?      Normal consciousness and alertness   I was feeling just normal

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   Hearing normal

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   Seeing normal

Did you see or hear any earthly events that were occurring during a time that your consciousness / awareness was apart from your physical / earthly body?   No  

What emotions did you feel during the experience?   Love, comfort  

Did you pass into or through a tunnel?   No  

Did you see an unearthly light?   No  

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice?   No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)?   No  

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings?   Yes   Grandmother had died just a few days or a week ago. She was there with an old lady friend of hers who had died just a few weeks before her.

Did you become aware of past events in your life during your experience?   No  

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world?   No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down?   No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything?   No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?   No

Did you come to a border or point of no return?   No

Did scenes from the future come to you?  No 

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness suggesting that there either is (or is not) continued existence after earthly life (“life after death”)?   Uncertain   Grandmother was telling me that she couldn't stay anymore. I wanted to ask her more but she faded away.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that God or a supreme being either does (or does not) exist?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that you either did (or did not) exist prior to this lifetime?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that a mystical universal connection or unity/oneness either does (or does not) exist?   Uncertain   My grandmother said 'I can't stay anymore, but you get up, dress up and go to work'. She sounded like she knew what was going to happen in the future

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s meaning or purpose?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s difficulties, challenges, or hardships?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding love?   Yes   I could feel love and forgiveness

During your experience, did you encounter any other specific information / awareness that you have not shared in other questions that is relevant to living our earthly lives?   No  

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge or purpose?   No  

What occurred during your experience included:   Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience   I think that the way my grandmother appeared and talked to me proves that angels and heaven exist.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience?   I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience   After all these years I can still remember the experience like it was yesterday. It made an impression on me.

Discuss any changes that might have occurred in your life after your experience:   I stopped feeling guilty about not talking to my grandmother that evening. After my dream or experience I just felt like she understood and forgave me.

My experience directly resulted in:   No changes in my life

Did you have any changes in your values or beliefs after the experience that occurred as a result of the experience?   No  

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience?   No  

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you?     It was like she didn't want me to feel guilty for the rest of my life so she had this brief conversation with me. I keep thinking about what she wanted to say when she told me to 'get up, get dressed and go to work'. I could only think that what she really wanted to say was 'my life here is over, but you need to live yours, don't worry about that evening, I will always be watching for your wellbeing'

Have you ever shared this experience with others?   Yes  Told my family about the dream I had in the same day or the day after. I told it to my then girlfriend on the spot.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?   No  

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:   Experience was definitely real  

What do you believe about the reality of your experience at the current time:   Experience was definitely real  

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?   No  

Have your religious beliefs/spiritual practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?   No  

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience?   Yes   She appeared to me in another dream. She didn't say anything but she was like 'you're going to be fine, just keep living your life'

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience?   No

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?   Yes   I tried to translate as accurate as I can.