Please watch these. http://blog.chron.com/hottopics/2011/12/texas-teen-leaves-youtube-video-days-before-death/ A Texas teenager with a life-threatening heart condition spoke about his life in a video posted on YouTube days before his death. Ben Breedlove, 18, died on Christmas day, but the teenager left one last video about his life for more than 60,000 followers on YouTube, according to KXAN News in Austin. Breedlove had been using several YouTube channels to talk about the effects of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle becomes thick that makes it harder for blood to leave the heart. Using notecards as a visual aid, Breedlove talks about his condition and how it impacted his life. “The first time I cheated death was when I was 4,” he wrote on one card. “I had a life-threatening seizure, scary right?” Breedlove talks about having a pacemaker installed and how his heart started to give him trouble again. In 2011, Breedlove underwent a surgery to remove his tonsils, but during the surgery, he went into cardiac arrest, he wrote. “It was a miracle that they brought me back,” he wrote. Breedlove’s final video message, which is split into two videos, has been viewed by nearly a million people. The 18-year-old signs off by saying, “Do you believe in Angels or God?” “I do,” he wrote. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tmlTHfVaU9o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a4LSEXsvRAI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Did you know Ben Breedlove? Interesting story. Young man had a severe heart condition. Had several experiences where he "died" (heart stopped beating)... he died on Christmas day this year. A week before his death, he made a couple youtube videos. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tmlTHfVaU9o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a4LSEXsvRAI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It sure is an inspiring story and something I can relate to. My brother had the same condition and didn't show any symptoms. The condition was found during a routine medical exam in 1998 and he had to have a surgery done as soon as possible. There were only three places in the world where the surgery could've been performed - Lyon, Zurich and Houston. Doctors in Lyon refused to do it because they considered it too risky. Luckily, a Croatian specialist worked in the Zurich child hospital and he managed to save my brother's life (I still believe he performed the surgery just because we too were Croatian, the risk of failure was very high). Houston was our last option, the cost of the travel and surgery would've been devastating. Today, my brother is completely healthy. He is 22 years old and is currently studying Medicine. Oh, the irony!
It doesn't bode well for the atheists. 100% of the time when somebody dies and comes back they see the light and have amazing experiences to where they don't want to come back. It's documented in almost all near death experiences and atheists who have these ND experiences always find faith afterwards.
This topic I'll never understand. As an atheist, how worried one must be everyday of their lives that it could be their last? If you believe in a Heaven, wouldn't it make life here on earth much more enjoyable? Knowing that there is more to this life is a great reason for getting out of bed IMO.
What about the scientific approach that the release of endorphins and euphoria is the bodies way of dealing with death?
I am an atheist because I feel religion is something that ties me down. Not brings me up. Just because one is an atheist does not mean they are that much afraid of death; it merely signifies the joy one must take out of everyday life on his or her own accord. Not daydreaming up (no offense) some fantasy about some afterlife.
I don't really believe in God, but I don't really have any ill-will or negative things about people that do. I'm not going to turn this into a D&D thread, but I think the experiences people have are the result of the brain usually being the last organ to be "alive," and in that instance, the brain tries to comprehend what the rest of the body is going through. In this disconnect, I think the brain begins to realize, and it tries to process (which I think is why people "see" other relatives that have gone before them), once it begins to run low on oxygen, it releases all of the body's energy (endorphines and all), and there truly is no way for it to think other thoughts, thus true euphoria. That discussion is here nor there, though. I respect everyone's religion, and I don't want to debate what happens in this thread. That said, props to this guy. I know he probably struggled to keep a smile on his face through this video (you could see it in part of the first video). I can't imagine how hard what he was going through was. Regardless of what you think about death, and what your beliefs are, if more people thought about life being just a glimpse in time, I think we would have a better, more peaceful and caring world. I hope Ben finds happiness in some shape or form.
Yeah, too bad it was used to bash others in this thread instead of people just commenting on how brave this young man was. Prayers to his family and all those who knew them (several acquaintances of mine know the family).
Way off the thread topic here... but one of my favorite songs EVER (Christian) song was written about this. Religion can't be something that sticks to you like a tattoo and follows you everywhere you go... here listen to the song, great meaning: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6rzOdXJu5UA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Enjoy!
