A man who returned from the dead after his life support plug was pulled has revealed what is waiting for us on the “other side”.
Before Gene Long died, he questioned whether God was real.
The 33-year-old had been battling a severe diagnosis of diabetes, coupled with addiction and being homeless.
His lifestyle quickly saw him plummet into a two-month-long coma, where medics only gave him a one percent chance of survival.
With no hope in sight, his parents pulled the plug on his life support, offering up his organs for donation, and began making plans for their son’s funeral.
But, just over an hour later, he suddenly woke up – and had no signs of being ill at all.
“There were 30 people in my room ready to say goodbye to me,” the construction worker told Need To Know.
“All my best friends, my mum, my dad and all my close family were there.
“As I couldn’t talk when I first woke up, I just sat there and smiled.
“They were in total shock.
“My parents had literally just signed the papers to let me go.”
Gene’s ordeal began in 2020.
He had become heavily addicted to meth and fentanyl.
It left him homeless and while his parents tried to help, it was no use, as Gene was “stuck” in the vicious cycle.
After being in the situation for over a year, he felt like his life had already ended.
He said: “Life was really tough.
“I wanted to die.
“I was questioning God and if he was good.
“All I did was cry to my mum about it.”
Then, as he was neglecting his body daily, his blood sugar spiked to 1,900 without him knowing.
It should sit around 100 – anything over 900 usually results in death.
The last thing Gene remembers is walking past a set of steps before he had a seizure.
He fell, hit the back of his head on the last step, and suffered a bleed on the brain.
Suddenly, everything went black.
Gene, from Florida, US said: “I opened my eyes and found myself walking on a sea of energy.
“The first thing I thought was that I was finally home.
“It was like I had just woken up from a nap.
“The ocean had every colour imaginable going through it, like they were alive, with lights pelting across.
“And it wasn’t made of water; it was just energy.
“I didn’t remember ever being on Earth; I thought I had always been in this place.”
He recalls mist and vines swirling around him, before his whole being encompassed the space.
He said: “I was in a balloon waiting on the ocean.
“Then it broke and I became one with it.
“I felt like God.”
Gene then spotted a figure who resembled his late grandfather.
But it wasn’t him at all.
He said: “The man felt so familiar that I wanted to run to him.
“As soon as I thought that, I blinked and we were standing face-to-face.
“He didn’t walk or swim; he was just there.
“But it wasn’t my grandpa at all.
“It was the Holy Spirit.”
The being had no face – it was all light – and he radiated a force of love.
Gene said: “When I saw him, I was struck by the most powerful love I have ever felt in my entire life.
“It was beyond human language.
“There are no words to describe it.
“It felt as though I was the only thing he had ever created.”
Despite the pair never speaking, Gene knew the answer – to everything.
Suddenly, they kneeled and started vibrating, which emerged a crystal footstool.
His life on Earth fell away beneath him; all of the bad things that had happened were gone for good.
And only the positives remained.
He blinked and was “zapped” back into reality on the aforementioned hospital bed.
Gene said: “The doctors had already said that if I were to wake up, I wouldn’t ever be able to walk or talk again.
“When my kidneys and liver started to fail, along with my brain, there was no chance.
“I was full of infection and death.
“My funeral outfit had been chosen and the priest was called to read my last rites.”
When he woke up, doctors were baffled and quickly worked to get together a plan for his care since he wasn’t meant to be alive.
While it was a long road to recovery, Gene hopes to share his story to inspire those who feel they have hit “rock bottom” that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
For him, this light has been the sudden end to his once tight addiction.
He added: “Since my return, I have never felt the need to use drugs.
“I knew God had given me a second chance and I wasn’t going to ruin it.
“Because I was in a coma for so long, I didn’t have to go through the typical withdrawal symptoms either.
“I was so frail afterwards that I couldn’t even hold a cup.
“I’m missing a piece of my ear from a bedsore – which I call my ‘ticket to Heaven’.
“My vocal chords were damaged after the life support tube was ripped out of my throat.
“But as soon as I could talk, I started with telling my story.
“Now, I even tell strangers.
“I believe that even one person hearing it could change how they face death.
“My organs miraculously recovered without dialysis and my diabetes – which used to require insulin five times a day – went into remission.
“It’s extremely rare for this to happen.
“Today, I’ve rebuilt my life and reconnected with my family.
“The void I once tried to fill with drugs was now full of love.
“It’s reshaped how I see life – and what comes after we’re gone.
“Death isn’t the end.
“And what feels like home is closer than people think.”
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