Man who died on operating table reveals who he saw

Mike McKinsey, a California man who was briefly declared dead during surgery, has spoken publicly about the extraordinary vision he experienced while his heart had stopped, a moment that changed his life forever.

Back in August 2004, McKinsey had been battling stomach pain without realising the severity of the issue. Unbeknownst to him, his appendix had ruptured. Three days later, on August 9, he walked into a hospital in Ventura, about 90 minutes west of Los Angeles, seeking help.

But what began as a routine emergency admission quickly took a dramatic turn.

Doctors rushed McKinsey into surgery. As he recalls, “They got me ready for surgery, started the IV, and wheeled me down the hall. I said goodbye to my wife. They burst open the doors of the operating room and I remember thinking, ‘Man, it’s freezing in here.’ I was still running a 104-degree fever and sweating, but the cold really hit me.”

Then everything changed.

“They slid me over onto the surgical table, and I remember thinking how small it was, like I might fall off. I looked to my right, and suddenly, Jesus was standing there.”

Everything else faded away.

“There were no doctors, no nurses, just Him,” McKinsey said. “I was confused, thinking, ‘What’s going on here? Did I die?’”

He had always heard stories about people who floated above their bodies during near-death experiences. But that wasn’t what happened to him.

“It wasn’t like a dream. It was a kind of heightened reality. As soon as Jesus appeared, everything shifted. His presence was undeniable,” McKinsey said. “His skin was darker than how I’d seen Him depicted as a kid, almost like an Arab man. He wore a white robe, had wavy brown hair, and these intense greenish-blue eyes. When He looked into my eyes, it felt like He saw straight into my soul.”

What struck McKinsey most was the overwhelming feeling of love.

“Everything about Him radiated love,” he recalled. “Then He held out His hands and asked me if I wanted Him to answer my prayers. That’s when it clicked; I used to pray as a kid that Jesus would show me heaven.”

Although McKinsey didn’t describe a full journey through heaven, the encounter left a lasting impression. From the moment he was pronounced clinically dead to the moment he returned to consciousness, 45 minutes had passed.

Today, over 20 years later, McKinsey stands by what he saw and felt that day.

Whether seen as a miracle, a vision, or something science can’t quite explain, his story is a powerful reminder of how one moment, between life and death, can change everything.