Experience description:

I was playing on a garage roof with a group of other boys. An old plank was pushed over the edge and a boy told me to walk out on it and promised he would stand on the other end. I did and when I was at the end he stepped off and I fell eight feet to the ground, landing on soft ground. I wasn't hurt and was thinking of this with surprise when a warm, compassionate but concerned and urgent man's voice said "Jerry, roll over." I did instantly and the plank slammed down where I had been. One of the boys called to me to turn it over. A long nail hammered through the plank would have impaled me were it not for the warning. I thanked them for the warning. "We didn't say anything," one replied. Yes, you did. No, we didn't. It went back and forth. I put the incident out of my mind, but recalled it from time to time as the years passed. My father was a brutal drunk who terrorized our home on his sprees, so a male voice carrying that degree of tender care was utterly unknown to me. That has stuck with me as much as the near escape. I mentioned this not long ago to my doctor. "Guardian angel," he said at once and related an experience he and his wife had a few years ago. They were driving on a freeway when she lost control of the vehicle and swerved back and forth before leaving the roadway and going down an embankment. The car was still obscured in a cloud of dust when a man appeared at the window. The doctor's wife was about to become hysterical when he motioned to roll down the window. He took her hand and his touch calmed her at once. "You'll be all right." Then he lightened the moment. "That was some pretty fancy driving back there." Other drivers had stopped and hurried to the car. The doctor said he got out and looked around. Where's the man who came to the window, he asked. There was no man, he was told. We were the first go get here.

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

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes    

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    When the voice spoke.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    More consciousness and alertness than normal

If your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience was different from your normal every day consciousness and alertness, please explain:            When the voice spoke.

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  No      

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
            Uncertain      It seemed like a voice above me.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            An imperative need to do what he said.

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Yes     A voice saving my life qualifies, I would think, as special knowledge. Purpose also can be inferred.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No      

Did you become aware of future events?       No           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     No      

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     Probably 25 years passed before I told anyone about this. People seem to believe my story, or at least they are polite enough to contain any disbelief. As for influence, I don't know.

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

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    I was just a kid. Strange and baffling things are always happening to kids. As I said above the incident was stored in my mind and surfaced from time to time until I finally was able to make sense of it.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?    I was aware of a great kindness toward me.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real    It happened and can't be explained away by any theory of which I'm aware. It was evidence to me of an unseen world where spirits exist and help us in moments of peril.

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

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            Uncertain      I'm not sure at what age I began to believe in God, but I think it was pretty young. As I said, my family was not outwardly religious though my mother would sometimes speak in a vague way about God. Having had this experience could not do otherwise than convince me of the existence of God and guardian angels.

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

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        No, that's pretty much it.

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