English: Yazıyor... Talks! Okan Gürşimşir | 60 Minutes: Beyond Heartbeats: An Experience That Transcends the Limits of Life

Today, we're not metaphorically holding on to life, but we'll talk about its quite literal and straightforward physical counterpart. We'll do this with Okan because he is anything but ordinary now...

In the past few days, Okan faced an unimaginable stroke of misfortune.

His heart stopped at the hospital!!! And we're not talking about a minute or two.

A full 60 minutes!!!

Now, let's get to know him, hear about what happened, and congratulate him for his incredible courage!

!!!Caution: The events narrated in this interview are solely based on Okan's experiences. Since situations and events can vary from person to person, they do not reflect a single absolute truth.

Okan, could you share a bit about yourself for those who may not know you?

Hello everyone, I'm Okan. First of all, I'd like to wish you success on Yazıyor..., İrem. You have a blog that is both stylish and full of content. I enjoy following it, and I'm very happy to share my experience here.

"Of course! Welcome, you brought joy, but we're quite in curioisity. How are you these days?"

I'm doing quite well. Well, at least physically. I've gained a bit of weight, of course. I'm just eating and sleeping, but I'm not worrying about it right now. I'm feeling a bit bored. If there is not movies on the earth, I think I would have gone crazy.

They keep me more entertained. By the way, I quit smoking, something I've been doing for 20 years. It feels really good...

I feel much better overall. No bad smell, no bad taste, and no bad breath. Most importantly, no feeling of suffocation.

This is crucial; there's "no feeling of suffocation" here!

How did it happen all of a sudden? How did they inform you about what was happening?

Actually, it was just an ordinary day.

It was a Friday, a day we all woke up to cheerfully, thinking about the weekend ahead...

The reason for my lack of cheerfulness was having the flu. I couldn't find a place to put my hands and feet; my whole body was aching. In a way, I felt like I had been beaten up.

Hoping to take advantage of the strength that comes with it being the last day of the week (thinking I could rest well over the weekend), I worked throughout the day.

I was assuming that In the evening, I will go to the emergency room, got an IV, and convinced myself that after resting over the weekend, I would recover.

That's how the events unfolded. In the evening, around 22:00, we were in the hospital's emergency room with my spouse. They started an IV, took a blood sample, and administered painkillers.

Finally, they informed me that my CRP level was high, and I would need antibiotics for it.

All happens here at once all of a sudden.

Did you feel the moment your heart stopped? Were you experiencing emotions like fear, anxiety, or despair?

As soon as the antibiotic entered my vein, my stomach started churning, and my mouth foamed... I couldn't speak; I looked into my spouse's eyes, and they understood I was in pain, and they began to scream.

Doctors started rushing around, and I felt like I was drowning.

With each passing second, everything was becoming blurry.

One doctor was shouting, "Breathe, breathe," while another was yelling the names of several medications at a nurse. I could only hear my spouse crying, and everything was beginning to disappear...

I didn't feel any fear or anxiety. My belief that I would recover only strengthened as the doctors spoke, but on the contrary, everything was gradually becoming more unclear...

Finally, as my spouse described it, my eyes rolled back, and I collapsed onto the bed. In my terms, everything just went black.

It's always wondered, during the moments when your heart stopped, did you have any mystical experiences? Is there anything you saw or felt, perhaps something you could say about a transition to a different dimension?

And I was free, seeing the world upside, not thinking.

I just knew that I no longer had hands or feet. I knew that I didn't have a body.

I felt a unity that I couldn't express with words.

I was still there. That is, the "I" didn't cease to exist. "Okan" was continuing.

I felt as if I had all the knowledge in the universe.

It was as if I had turned to "It," everything felt complete now, and I sensed infinity.

Suddenly, I found myself in a flying object resembling an airplane.

There was no pain or sorrow.

There was only immense happiness within me. I was alone on this plane, like a private jet. Someone was flying that object.

When I turned my head to look into the cockpit, there was a very serious and handsome pilot, completely white.

Inside, there was a cluster of white light. It was as if there were other white pilots inside.

When I turned my head to the right to look out of the window, I could see that we were flying in line with tall trees.

The trees were lush green, and I had never seen such large and green trees in my life. The sky was sky blue, and below, there was a deep blue sea. Colorful butterflies and birds were flying around with vibrant colors.

As we got closer, I began to distinguish their features. They weren't physical bodies; they were just energies, but each one was distinguishable.

It felt like they were people who had come before me and had passed away, and they were just looking at me, smiling. They were by the edge of the window, and later, I realized that they were also flying. They were happy, laughing, playing, and it seemed like they were waiting for me.

I was also very happy. As I mentioned, there was no worry or sorrow.

Can you describe in detail the moment of the return, the CPR, and the moment of coming back to life? What were your experiences and feelings during this process?

A voice came from afar, saying, "You need to come back." It was a woman's voice.

At first, I didn't understand what was happening. Then it came again. It was my spouse's voice, saying, "You need to come back..."

Suddenly, memories of moments spent with my spouse started flooding in; the moment I proposed, the moment we got married, our first kiss, the first time we met...

Then my mother came to mind, and a few moments from my childhood when I hugged her out of fear... The voice still said, "You need to come back."

After that, the bright blue sky suddenly turned pitch black. Lightning started to flash. The plane began to reverse, and this time, I started seeing the plane from the outside, from above, from the sky. The plane was going backward to where it took off.

Suddenly, lightning struck. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in my body as it received an electric shock. I was inside my body, but I didn't feel pain; I only felt the shock enveloping me.

The nurse next to me was shouting, "I can't get a pulse." Meanwhile, the line on the monitor remained flat. The doctor was yelling, "CPR." The nurse next to me leaned in and said, "Come on, Okan, you can do it."

While I could see all of this happening in my body, I was also trying to convey to them that I hadn't died and that I was still here, seemingly outside my body, but no one could hear me.

The doctor performing the chest compressions got tired after a while, and another doctor took over.

Despite still not having a pulse, I could see everything happening, and I was trying to prove to them that I was actually there.

Suddenly, I felt a tremendous pain in my body, in my heart. Then I shouted to the doctor, "Stop, that's enough. My heart is very tired. Let me go now."

However, I couldn't make my voice heard. Afterward, everything turned pitch black again, and a deep silence prevailed.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the intensive care unit. After an hour of cardiac arrest, I had been brought back to life. Although my life was in danger for 48 hours, I woke up in 5 hours. However, the danger continued for 48 hours. Therefore, I spent 2 days in intensive care and 3 days in the regular ward.

After a total of 5 days, with broken ribs, I left the hospital hand in hand with my spouse.

Yes, after such a terrifying and incomprehensible experience, there must have been immediate changes in your life...

Of course... For example, whenever I go to the emergency room and if antibiotics need to be administered, I'll ask for it to be done very slowly. One of the reasons is this experience. :)

I'll strive to be more present in the moment. Because, truly, life is just made up of the moments we live. One moment you're here, the next you're not.

I'll tell my loved ones more often that I love them. I won't engage with things I don't want or with people who have a negative impact on me. If I do, I must be in a really tough situation.

I'll embrace my home, my work, my family, my spouse more, and I'll only run after the things that truly deserve my effort.

Remember when I said let's put the feeling of drowning in our pocket?

Well, I won't drown for anything anymore. Too much of anything is harmful, and it's the same for everything.

I won't let the present moment be tainted by negativity!

We thank all our loved ones who have been with me and my family from the beginning to the end of this journey. We are so grateful for your presence.

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I thank our dear friend Okan for openly sharing this striking experience with us.

I want to welcome him back to life and give him a big hug when I see him for the first time...

I think I'm not alone in this!

Stay tuned for Yazıyor...