I had this at Linn's site and was asked to copy and paste here.  Yes, gladly.  Thanks for asking, Alysia!

This is one of my most powerful paranormal experiences. Looking back, I'd say that this is the one that kick-started me into my search. The events surrounding it are many and long to tell. So I will just stick to the main portion.

So what I wanted to share here, happened in 1996. My son was 8 months old. I had been coughing very hard for the past two months but I had no other symptoms. One day at work I heard a voice in my head that I knew was not my own thoughts. It said simply, "You have a tumor. It is centrally located". I had had no previous experience with hearing voices and I didn't know what to think or what to do. I wish I had gone to see my doctor, but I didn't. I heard the voice say the same thing each day for about a month.

Then one night as we had been sleeping in bed, my husband and I were both awakened to a strange sound. We just lay there for several moments trying to figure out what it was. My husband said he thought it might be the baby crying. We did have a baby monitor in our room, but our son had never cried at night before. In all his 8 months he always slept through the night.

My husband got up to go check, and I started to get up too, but as soon as I sat up in bed the cough began again. This time it was very, very hard and after a minute I could hardly breathe. I made it to the kitchen to try to drink something but by now I was hyperventilating. My husband had changed the baby and offered him a bottle, but the baby was already falling back asleep. I waved my husband on to go back to bed, as I went into the bathroom. The next thing I remember is a huge amount of blood coming out of my mouth. It was actually a relief and I was able to breathe well enough to scream. My husband came running in, and a minute later I coughed up another huge amount of blood. The coughing would start up again and trigger more blood to come up, and I could not stop this process.

By the time we reached the ER, the coughing had stopped. The ER doc shook his head as I told him what had happened. He showed me the initial x-ray which showed my lungs had been filled with blood, and one side was still filled. He asked me if I was sure I had been laying down asleep, because it should be impossible for my lungs to be filled with blood and that I could wake up, sit up, and cough it up. I told him I was indeed laying down asleep. He said if I hadn't gotten up when I did, I wouldn't have lived much longer. It would have been impossible. He wanted to know how I woke up anyway. I told him the baby had cried, for the first time! We all knew that something amazing had taken place, not just a coincidence.

But I was in a lot of shock when he told me I needed surgery. He said I had developed a huge tumor inside the lower lobe of my left lung, and it had broken open a blood vessel that had been slowly bleeding. Finally my lungs had filled. I was devastated, scared to death, and finally realized the voice had been right after all. I didn't know if it meant cancer or if I would die during surgery. Would this be the end of my life? As my husband left the room to cry (he couldn't cry in front of me), I was actually happy to be left alone for a moment. In my mind I started to pray.

"God, I don't want to die. I'm not ready yet. I have too much to do still, and I don't want to do it in another life, I want to do it in this lifetime. I want to raise my son, and I want to have a daughter one day. There are so many people I want to still meet, so many things I want to do in life, and so many things I still want to learn. Please don't let me die. If it is in your plan for me to die now, I can accept that with open arms. But if I have any say in the matter at all, I want to live! Please, just let me know if I am going to die. I just don't want it to be a surprise. Just let me know."

I looked at my baby sitting there still strapped in his car seat on the floor of the ER room. I cried so hard to see his sweet little happy face looking at me. What if this was the last time I got to see him? He would grow up never having known me.

Before my surgery there was a lot going on, family coming in, me meeting with the surgeon, nurses coming and going. But then one man in particular stood out. He came into my room in the midst of all this chaos, dressed in plain clothes, no name tag, nothing to signify that he worked at the hospital. He said his name was Luis. He asked if he could say a prayer with me. I accepted it, and he came and sat on my bedside. He was very soft spoken and his disposition was extremely kind. It felt good just to be next to him, as if he exuded kindness and love. He said he wanted to tell me that my surgery would go fine, and that I had nothing to worry about. I smiled and thanked him, but in my heart I thought he was just a nice man who wanted to make me feel good. I didn't believe him. How could he know?

During the hours leading up to my surgery, Luis walked in now and then just to comfort me. I never questioned who he was, and no one else did either. We just accepted him as a caring hospital worker whose job it was to counsel/console patients. I thought that this is the kind of treatment you get when your situation is really bad, so his presence never struck me as unusual. One of his stories to me was that there was a young woman who he had just recently helped, who was here to have her leg amputated. He told her it would not be necessary to amputate, that her leg would be saved. When it came time for surgery, the doctors discovered it was not necessary and she could keep her leg.

His story was comforting to me, but mostly only because of his loving demeanor. What difference did it make to me if he was right about some girl's leg? How was that supposed to make me feel better? He kept reminding me that he was right about my surgery, that it would go fine and that I would come out of it okay. I still didn't believe him. It wasn't that I was sure I would die, I just didn't believe that he could be so darn sure I would live.

Another of his stories was him telling me that he used to be a boxer "when I was younger", he had said. I grinned as I thought, how old does he think he is? He only looked maybe in his 20s, certainly no more than 30! He explained that he didn't run his life very well back then, that he didn't take care of himself, and that he had been filled with anger a lot. Then one day it all changed. He said that he had realized God loved him, and he wanted to change his life and be a better person.

What a nice story, I thought. Good for him. But I was not a religious person, so I thought, what am I supposed to get out of this? That's nice for him that he changed his life, but I already know that I run a good life. I already have my own personal belief in God and know that I am looked after. Still, Luis was so gentle and kind that he could have sat there reading the phone book to me. I didn't care what he said, I just loved his presence!

It happened that my surgery would not be able to take place until morning, and I was afraid to go to sleep! What if the same thing happened? Luis came in for one more stop before I was to go to sleep. He said he wanted to explain to me what to expect in the morning so that I would feel more assured. He still tried to assure me that everything would be okay, and that I had no reason to worry.

He said, "Okay, your husband will want to be here by 6:30 a.m. but he will be running late, and with the baby and all, he won't get here until just past 7:00. Your brother and sister-in-law will be here shortly after that, and your parents by 7:30". Luis rattled off other details about my family and what my morning would be like, and I guess I just sat there with a weird look on my face. How did he know all this? It still didn't occur to me that anything out of the ordinary was going on here. But he was right. Everything happened exactly like he had outlined, and as each thing unfolded I kept being reminded of his exactness of it all. I knew it was strange, but I had no idea how he knew it all.

My surgery did go fine, there was no cancer, and a couple days later I was doing well enough to have my own private room. The nurses had been checking my vitals every hour and rotating me. Finally by maybe the third night, I think, my nurse told me that I was doing very well and that I would be allowed to sleep the whole night through without someone checking on me. I looked forward to some real sleep. My nurse said if I needed anything I could just buzz her, but otherwise she would leave my door shut and make sure I had an undisturbed night.

Well, I had slept so good that by 2:30 in the morning I woke up wide awake. I felt completely refreshed and not sleepy at all. Looking at the clock, I knew that a nurse wouldn't be coming in until 7:00. I actually missed all the checkups and attention I had been getting. But I didn't want to buzz her in just because I wanted company, and I knew it was not possible to have visitors. Besides, I didn't want to call my family and wake them. I actually felt very well, and I wasn't even thinking about my surgery at all. But I wished I had company. Then it occurred to me, how much I wished I could see that nice young man who was so kind to me. Suddenly, something was happening in my room. There was golden light, different from the soft lighting from my room (one soft light was left on across the room), and from out of nowhere Luis was suddenly standing just a few feet from my bed! I was not startled at all, but very ecstatic. I said, "It's you! You're here!"

He was standing there in that soft golden glow, with his arms at his sides, and one hand atop the other in front of him. He was smiling so gently and he looked so peaceful. He said, "I'm always here for you, Vicky".

ME: "I was just thinking about you!" (I was exuberant and never felt so much love and joy in my life. I thought I must be looking at an angel. My dad was right, there are angels!)

LUIS: Do you remember before your surgery that I told you everything would be okay, and it was?

ME: Yes.

LUIS: I told you you'd be fine, and you were.

ME: Yes, I remember.

LUIS: I came to tell you that you would be fine, and you were.

ME: I know. I didn't believe you. (I wondered why he kept persisting with this).

LUIS: You wanted to know if you were going to die, and it was my job to tell you that you weren't. And you didn't die. But you didn't believe me. Now I am here to tell you that it was my job to come to you, and it was my job to tell you that you wouldn't die.

ME: Thank you. (I finally understood).

Finally, at that moment, I realized what his persistence was all about. I had completely forgotten about my prayer! I had forgotten that I had begged God to let me know if I was going to die or not. But that had been inside my head, and I hadn't told anyone. And here Luis had just popped into my room out of thin air to tell me that it was his job to tell me I wasn't going to die. It was his job! What did that mean? I asked God a question and he sent Luis to deliver the message?

I was so surprised and shocked by this point that I would love to have seen the look on my face.

Luis came over, sat on the side of the bed, and said another prayer with me. Now, looking directly into his face, I realized the magnitude of what was happening. The joy, love, and kindness that emanated from him was unbelievable. I wish I had had the presence of mind to ask him a billion questions, but I didn't. I was in so much awe. I was so overjoyed that I was loved enough to receive such an incredible experience, to have my question answered in such a wonderful way. I hadn't even expected a real answer to my prayer, just that I'd end up safe and able to live my life.

I don't remember Luis leaving my room that night. The next thing I remember was waking up the next morning. I wanted to shout to the world what had happened, but I didn't. I hardly understood how it was even possible, and I knew no one would believe me.

Over the years I've often asked why I don't get to see him again. If he can just appear like he did back then, why can't he do it again? There have been some times where I've been so sad, depressed, or whatever where I've wished Luis could come to me and make me feel better, where I've wished that he would just come and comfort me, or talk to me, or let me ask all my questions.

It took several years for me to stop pouting about why I can't just have him again, just see him again, and feel him again. I finally realized that just because I don't have another experience like that one doesn't mean he has left me. I remind myself of his words, "I'm always here for you, Vicky". And each time I re-live that experience in my mind, I know that I do feel him, even if I can't see him.

Love,
Vicky

Vicky said: It took several years for me to stop pouting about why I can't just have him again, just see him again, and feel him again. I finally realized that just because I don't have another experience like that one doesn't mean he has left me. I remind myself of his words, "I'm always here for you, Vicky". And each time I re-live that experience in my mind, I know that I do feel him, even if I can't see him.

____

girl, I would have pouted too! this is really extraordinary. if any lurkers here have had a similar experience would be nice to hear from them. the thing is Vicky, my opinion, just one of this type of thing happening, heads you in the right direction for the rest of your life..it's priceless, it's even the stuff that books are made out of. a light in the darkness. this is a major kick start most of us don't get.
we so rely on our five senses here is why. but it was your own five sense involved, thats why the proof of the pudding is in the taste. I'm looking forward to the day where we develop the 6th sense more fully as a whole. until then I thank you for sharing and it's too precious. love, alysia

Hey, I'm just happy this fella was so darn persistent.  Look how much it took for me to finally GET IT!  I guess I'm kinda slow sometimes...story of my life!   :D

Yep, there was no 6th sense stuff involved here.  He was able to pull off being completely physical to everyone.  And then to just appear out of thin air?  I am too technical and I love physics and all that, so for years I was like, how did he do that?  How is that possible?  And finally I just quit wondering about it and relished in the glory that it is.  I am just happy that "they" are so patient with someone like me!

I'm working on a book, yes, and have been for about a year now.  This part that I posted here is only a shortened version of what I would have in my book, but I didn't want to make it so very long here.  
Thanks for all your support and courage Alysia.  You have helped me more than you know!

Love, Vicky

This is the most amazing experience I've ever heard of and you were so fortunate to have experienced this. I guess if you hear voices in the future you'll get them checked out, but hopefully you'll never need to have such a horrible event (but ending up a great event in the long run) to go through again.
;D

Wow :D

Vicky, what a fantastic experience....and beautiful.  I would be so interested to read your book whenever it is ready.

love, blink

Just want to say thanks for all the responses everyone, makes me feel good.   :)  

Love,
Vicky

Vicky, now thats what I call confirmation,I'm so happy for you, you can feel the energy he gave you through your writing.

Love to all

Hi Vicky,
 thank you for posting your experience.
 Luis could, alternatively, just soothened you, everything will be allright, and make you feel good. But he went some steps further, with his detailed predictions and his final appearance he ensures that you have no chance to doubt that there is a spiritual world and you're connected with it. And when you wished he would come back when you had hard times after it, this knowledge I guess you couldn't deny, even if you were angry at him for not showing up again. If it was his job to bring you certainty, he did his job well it seems.
 There is an implication for me when you said he was absolutely real and physical. Couldn't it be then that we all had those encounters but didn't realized it? Somebody, unknown, appearing as a normal physical person one meets on the street is giving one a little hint, or just smiles, and goes by. Who knows? So the stories I heard in school that people could be angels and angels could appear as people are sounding not childish any longer.

Bye, Spooky

Spooky, yes I agree.  I grew up hearing that, that angels can appear as people and we never even know it.  Honestly, I never really believed in that sort of thing until I had this experience.  It has made me go back over times in my life to look for other instances where the person who has helped me might have been an angel or guide.  (I can remember about 4 times in my life where something was just "too convenient" to have been a mere coincidence).  I've also thought that perhaps regular people have been placed in situations by guides to be at the right place at the right time to help us.  

Love,
Vicky

one word, amazing..

this fellow I met only for about 30 seconds it seemed...all details around the encounter seemed wiped out from my memory..but I do remember what I was thinking before he walked in the door and what I was thinking when he walked out the door. I never saw him again either. I think Vicky's story is making us think about possible angel type encounters so thanks again Vicky.
I was around 18 and out on my own, my first job was at a dry cleaning place. i was so spiritually green and wet behind the ears and didn't know love was the journey I would take. I didn't mean to be a rude person but that's how I came across as I was not aware of how others saw me. The owner of the place had a very high energy level and I like obsorbing his energy; Mr Noble was a noble person! Mr Noble would always attend the counter and the customers who came in always got a good dose of his good cheer and laughter could always be heard from that area. I wasn't laughing rain yet...I was like a sort of sleep walker in life. one day every body left and I was alone for some strange reason in the shop, usually there were at least 5 of us running around doing stuff. since everyone was gone and u had to rush to take clothes out of the dryer or they would wrinkle, all of a sudden 3 dryers went off at the same time...so I'm rushing to take care of this, thinking oh dam, eula is gonna bark at me, I better get this done....in walks a man with a nice face, looking like not a sleepwalker like me..I think oh shit I have to wait on him and I have no personality for the public (true back then) he greets me cheerfully but I am unresponsive to his good cheer...seems like my spirit had not entered my body yet fully, don't know. my attitude sucked. suddenly he speaks loud like he's calling a dead person out of a tomb! I am staring at him and for the life of me cannot remember any words that passed between us...I just remember a smile appearing on my face as I stared at him in a trance and he walked away laughing at me ever so slightly while I was mentally sending him a grateful thought, thank you! oh thank you! I was in a suspended state of animation and even though I was painfully shy person as well I couldn't tear my eyes off him and beseeched him to return someday mentally. I remember myself now! I kept sending him this thought; you woke me up! I think always this was an angel who was able to manifest even the suit of clothes I retrieved for him and the money and change I gave him, although these details are not even clear, that there was a suit of clothes or money exchanged, but it almost seems as if he put these ideas in my head, that there was an exchange of business nature. I think angels can make circumstances appear "normal." they can appear to be physical as physical is what we believe in and we trust our five senses while we are here. http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/angel.gif    I was never unconsciously rude or consciously rude the rest of my life. it was a permanent attitude adjustment but spiritual at the same time. later, just now I thought Mr Noble had sent this angel to me, as I caught Noble looking at me strangely now and then as if he were trying to figure me out...it probably did have something to do with Noble.

I have a story which is really pathetic, but you might get a good laugh from it.  I've grown since then so I'm over it!   :)  Go ahead and laugh.  

A while back I was having marital problems and knowing my marriage was almost over, and as I was driving home from work I was just crying my eyes out over it.  I worked nights and it was nearly 1 a.m.  I kept asking my guides are they there for me right now?  Couldn't they help me out, give me some answers on what I should do?  I knew that they were there and I was probably just too distraught to hear them.  

I usually listened to my BNL CD's but that night I decided to switch on the radio instead.  Guess what was playing...that song that goes "calling all angels".  (I don't know the name of it, but I think it's that one from the movie Pay It Forward).  That song is about a guy asking where his angels are.  Ha Ha.  Okay, very funny.  I guess they actually were listening to me but I still felt so alone and unsure what to do.

I knew I didn't want to lose my husband, and I always want to try to work things out.  I don't give up that easy.  But if it was truly over, I didn't see how I could go on without him.  And I didn't want to go on alone, that's not me.  I'm not that independent.  And, I thought, I'm probably not even attractive enough to find someone else anyway.  (I told you this story was pathetic).

Just then, and I swear I am not making this up, but just then as I came to stop at a red light, a truck pulled up next to me on my right.  The guy was hollering something to me.  Like an idiot, I leaned over and rolled down the passenger window and said "what?".  (I'm never usually this trusting, especially in the middle of the night, I mean the guy could have been up to no good for all I knew, but I was very distraught and not thinking).  

He actually opened his door and leaned out and hollered again, "You are very attractive.  I just want you to know that."  And with that, he closed his door, the light turned green, and off he drove.

I just burst out laughing through my tears.  I knew I had been set up by my guides, I mean, that was just too coincidental.  There is no way that guy could have seen what I looked like from his huge truck behind my little car, in the dark.  Besides, he was drunk off his butt.  

Okay, so I got the picture.  My guides were listening after all.  I stopped feeling so sorry for myself and stopped being so pathetic.  (My marriage problems eventually worked themselves out even without my guides telling me what I should do).

Eh gads, I hate that story, but it is kind of funny.  


;)

HAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! Vicky can you hear my belly laugh? ;D  this is the kind of shenigans my own guides play on me! we must share these guides!

ok u reminded me of one....used to go to a spiritualist church in LB CA back in the late 60's. sometimes u got lucky and got a message reading from the billots, other times, too many people and u didn't get your billot read by one of the psychics. the drive home was 2 hours. my work was sort of traveling gypsy fruit peddler. don't laugh...every evening driving home I would sing loud songs to pass the time to the radio. one night at church the billot reader confirmed for me that spirits were riding in my truck "listening" to me sing! ha ha! I got a little embarrassed... :-X but thats not the main point..there was another night I didn't get lucky to have my billot read. so I sulked off to home for the long ride...all the way I'm thinking "nobody cares a "feces" about me (I have to put feces instead of the other word as this website doesn't allow the other, ha ha!) so ahem...to continue...no, I understand that, really I do! so as I was driving along feeling pouty I continued to think to myself nobody likes me, I'm a loser..blah blah blah....this voice said to jar me WE LIKE YOU! then I flushed with joy as it was so real and I thought I could hear laughter...but I totally accepted it, that guides were with me and they liked me!
"singing in the rain...just singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again, just singing, and laughing in the rain...

sorry if I get silly...... :P

thanks again Vicky!

Quote:

was golden light The joy, love, and kindness that emanated from him was unbelievable.

Those two points coincide exactly w my dead brother whom i saw a few yrs ago.  Thanks for helping me to confirm that.  I saw him inside, somehow.  He too was beaming golden light, love, assurance, happiness, acceptance, joy, and smiling like he did when he was alive.  I suppose he must be my helper, now.

MS

you are lucky then! I was amazed a little when my grandmother died she began hanging around my mother and beaming like that...just making mom feel good about herself...it was beautiful to watch the relationship between them...it must be a common thing for family members to become as guides or to offer inspiration as we go along in life...love, alysia

I saw nanny smiling like a saint in a dream, but I know she just had an ordinary life, she wasn't a saint in life..she looked so angelic as a spirit..I could only wonder at this....

Thanks Vicky for sharing with us your amazing encounter, what a brilliant story......... :D

see Vicky...I told you your story was classical and beyond value......I don't think you believed me... ;)

Thank you Alysia, I will never get tired of hearing that, nor will I ever tire of telling my stories!  Thanks to all who liked reading it and who received something from it.  Like MS said, it confirmed something for him.  That is so great.  

And my pathetic balling-in-the-car story--sheesh, at least I can laugh at myself!  Believe me, I am much stronger now.  

So Alysia, I can't wait to one day accomplish writing that book.  Then you can read the whole story.  Yes, there are some things I am saving just for my book.   ;D

found this little gem archived. it's not often we get to see our guides with our physical eye but Vicky did, and btw, she don't lie, she has no reason to make it up. I even met Vicky out there once..she dragged me off to a meeting with her enthusiam; imagine that! I'm usually the one doing the dragging..ha ha!

Thanks for sharing Vicky, awesome.
I have one possible guardian story.  I was driving home one day.  Quit road, speed limit 25, I was doing 45.  Out of no where I get pulled over.  The officer comes to my window, I have no license on me and no seat belt on.  I was coming from the recycle center near my house so I didn't grab my wallet and where I live in CT, they in-force seat belt laws.  He could of nailed me with three fines and a court visit.  To make along story short... The officer tells me he's not going to give me a ticket because of my attitude.  Lol, what? Thats a first!  Then he goes on with a lecture about not warring a seat belt and speed.  Thats the two elements that are fatal when driving.  He says, trust me I know.  OK, makes sense I say to myself.  How simple, wear belt and drive slow and you have little to worry about.  I thank the officer and as he is walking away, I put away my insurance card (i did have that).  I then look up at my rear view mirror and the officer and his car are gone.  Did not hear or see him leave.  Just didn't seem like he had enough time to do that.  Granted, I was rattled by the whole thing.  So its very possible I missed him leaving, I wish I watched him leave more closely.  Anyway, the whole thing was very spooky.  To this day I hear his lecture when I drive now and then.  I have watched my speed ever since.

Wow! That is pleasantly refreshing!

I personally havent experienced any experiences such as Vicky's Yet!

But I know loads of close friends and family members who are staunch and absolute skeptics when it comes to the afterlife and "spirits" and then something monumental happens to them such as a life threatening event or danger.

My older brother was knocked down by a car when he was 16 on the way home from his friend's house on a September night.  His injuries were life-threatening and he was in ITU for a month afterwards.  What is strange was that all the docs said it was a miracle that he was not dead as the car which knocked him down was travelling at 30mph! (Tell me thats not divine intervention ;D!)

Before this accident he was a staunch skeptic who openly ridiculed people for believing in ghosts and spirits.  During the accident he experienced in his opinion an OBE combined with an NDE!  He even saw both of our grandparents who told him to go back as it was not his time to go!  He also believes our grandad was watching over him as he was extremely close to him when he was alive.