Press release: National journalist describes near-death experience and spiritual awakening

National journalist describes near-death experience and spiritual awakening

James Macintyre, a freelance journalist and biographer, was the featured guest on a recent episode of The Art of Dying Well podcast. During the interview, Macintyre gave a first-hand account of the life-threatening pancreatitis he endured in 2023 that led to a 5-week coma and 4-month hospitalisation.

Last May, Macintyre was rushed to the intensive care unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London in a critical condition. Doctors informed him that he was suffering from severe pancreatitis that could be fatal. After a difficult week involving blunt conversations with medical staff about the possibility of dying, Macintyre was placed in a medically-induced coma to aid his breathing and survival.

During the coma, Macintyre nearly died when doctors performed emergency tracheostomy surgery. Thankfully he pulled through, but awoke to the devastating news that his mother had died while he was unconscious.

In the podcast, Macintyre says:

“Oddly, I somehow knew when I emerged from the coma that mum had died. Now, I may have overheard something semi-conscious, although I think my family, my father specifically and my sister were pretty careful not to talk about it. In fact, I now know that they were in a dilemma and wondering how on earth to kind of break it to me after the coma. But I did know that she died. In fact, I think one of the first things I said was, you know, mum’s died, hasn’t she?”

This paired trauma led Macintyre into a deep reflection on living life to the fullest:

“I was wasting my life before May last year. I was just drifting,” admitted Macintyre on the podcast. “You drift through life, you think that you’re invincible at the age of 30 or 40, but it’s incredibly awakening and sobering to have a privilege of realising that you can come incredibly close to death.”

Macintyre credits his survival and new outlook to the excellent hospital care he received as well as his Christian faith. He now hopes to impart lessons about valuing each day, having an attitude of gratitude, and centering one’s life on eternity, rather than worldly pursuits.

Macintyre commented:

“It’s important to realise that death and these kinds of experiences are not a medical failure, they are part of a natural process. You do have a duty to reflect and I think yes, people can skip that awful phase of being in hospital for four months and just seize life with eternity in mind.”

The full interview with James Macintyre can be found on our podcasts page Podcasts – The Art of Dying Well.