Before my Heart stopped at 3:32am on August 3, 2013 I had no idea I was about to die. I went into V-Fib, Ventricular Fibrillation, otherwise known as the “Widow Maker.” The stats are chilling: less than 5% of those that go into V-fib make it out of the hospital alive. A slightly larger percentage live past the ambulance, only to succumb later. Two talented paramedics, “Smiley”, a brawny muscle man with handlebar moustache and Riccardo, another of the highly skilled Howard County Maryland emergency response team, were there to bring me back.

This miracle team resuscitated me after I had been clinically dead for approximately 1 ½ minutes. Yes, there was consciousness while I was “gone” and (for me) – yes, the “Light” is real. If you were no longer afraid of death, how would you live your life differently? What choices would you make? How would you spend your remaining time?

Friends told me I should share my story, but there was so much more. This wasn’t the first time I had confronted death, nor dealt with the vast aftereffects as a result.

My world always felt upside down. I survived my parents’ divorce, torn between two families and a subsequent adoption which was briefly canceled over the discovery of my, then, confused sexuality. I constantly sought answers for a greater purpose and meaning to life, further navigating a surreal tidal wave of paranormal events and a clairvoyance which included premonitions of plane crashes and the compelling possibility of past lives.

Fused with these questions was an early life of privilege, growing up with a challenging Stepfather, Paul G. Marshall, whose obituary in Billboard Magazine referred to him as a “legendary music attorney.” His esteemed clients included The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, and Mary Jay Blige among others. Some, like David Frost, KISS, Jonathan King, and Clive Davis of Arista Records were often regular dinner guests. At the age of twelve I learned to play chess from another genius client – World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer as he hid from the press in our Englewood, NJ house following the famous 1972 Reykjavik, Iceland match. Actor Michael Stuhlbarg played my Stepfather in the film PAWN SACREFICE. My Mother was a former actress on Broadway and television turned successful photographer.

Interwoven throughout my seemingly absurd life, my own varied career has taken me from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and a BFA in Film Production from New York University, to feature film production in West Berlin and Austria and as Assistant to my mentor, famed Agent/Producer Richard Armitage in London, England. I learned theatrical production on working on several West End shows, including our Olivier Award Winning revival of the musical ME AND MY GIRL which we ultimately opened on Broadway. Before dying suddenly at age 58, Richard also discovered and nurtured the careers of a remarkably rare bevy of up-and-coming talent that included Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson, and Tilda Swinton.

Years later, I would eventually work as a Casting Associate for famed Baltimore Casting Director Pat Moran, known for her long history with filmmaker John Waters on classics like PINK FLAMINGOS and the original HAIRSPRAY, prior to mainstream hits like HOMOCIDE and THE WIRE. I was honored to be a member of the team to win an Emmy for casting HBO’s GAME CHANGE with Julianne Moore and Ed Harris, as well as an Emmy Nomination for Casting season one of the long running hit comedy VEEP starring Julia Louis Dreyfus.

Apart from these remarkable entertainment industry opportunities, I could never imagine that at 53 a heart attack would magnify my lifelong curiosity and experiences with the paranormal. I was literally given a chance to peek through the door into eternity, indelibly affecting all my perceptions.  I was shown the spectacular simplicity and power of our ultimate journey in a way that not only changed my life, it reaffirmed my life. This is my story – Robert Neal Marshall