A fitness fanatic who died for almost half an hour after dropping dead in the middle of a basketball game says he remembers exactly what happened when he 'passed away'.
Phill Zdybel, 57, has spoken about the terrifying 28-minutes and has revealed exactly what he saw on his way to St Peter’s pearly gates.
He hit the ground following a coronary artery aneurysm while playing an intense match, which triggered a massive heart attack last November.
The DailyStar report that the taekwondo instructor very nearly left behind his son Joshua, who was watching him play that day in Geelong, Australia.
Thankfully, Josh’s quick thinking in calling emergency services the moment he saw his dad fall meant they got there in time to save his life after onlookers also grabbed a nearby defibrillator to try and restart his heart.
When Phill, who works as a taxi driver for people with disabilities, woke up in hospital a few days later he said he was told he had been dead for 28 minutes.
He revealed that despite all the stories he had heard about dying, he didn’t see any white lights or heavenly figures during his brush with death.
Instead, he felt like he was floating above and looking down on his own body while an off-duty nurse tried desperately to revive him.
“I would say I was a bit out of body,” he told the Geelong Advertiser.
Phil admitted it was a “miracle” that he suffered the shock heart attack with so many people around, realising that there was a chance he could’ve died in his sleep.
He said it was a “miracle” he suffered sudden cardiac arrest while around so many people.
“No one would have found me,” Phil grimly said. "I’m a miracle man."
Despite the harrowing incident, he revealed that it left him with a new perspective that is pushing him to live his life to the fullest.
Phil said that just a few months after his incident, he has already returned to competitive taekwondo despite previously considering giving up martial arts following a previous health scare.
He said: “All the little things we worry about are not worth worrying about.
“Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do anything."
British healthcare charity Resuscitation Council UK said that just 9% of Brits survive a heart attack when outside a hospital.
