Alex Carson
Tina Hines
Tina Hines was a healthy, athletic woman. She met her husband, Brian, when they were at Biola University in California. The two had two classes together and quickly became college sweethearts. Brian says that in college, she was tall and athletic. He says that most days when he would see her, she was jogging. Brian says that their relationship progressed quickly. They fell in love very fast, got engaged, and six months later, they were married.
Settling Down
After Tina and Brian were married, they had four children and settled down in Phoenix, Arizona. Both Tina and Brian were incredibly dedicated to their children, their family, and each other. When a family friend, Jeff Logas, described Tina, he said that everyone loves her. He added, “Brian and Tina, and their family spread so much joy and happiness in everybody’s life.” Just when things seemed perfect, tragedy struck.
February 12, 2008
Everything began on February 12, 2008. It was a typical Monday, and Tina and Brian went out for a hike, which they had done many times before. When they arrived home, Jeff called them to see if he could come by for a visit. The couple had nothing to do the rest of the day, so they told him to come on over. Shortly after Jeff arrived at their home, disaster struck.
Call 911
Jeff says that when he got to the house, Tina seemed fine. One second, they were standing side by side talking; the next, Tina had fallen face-first onto the rocks. Brian says that there was no warning, and it happened very quickly. He knew right away that something was wrong, so he called out to Brian to cal 911. Jeff knew that whatever was happening was serious, and Tina required immediate medical attention.
Brian’s Surprise
Brian, who was in the house at the time, was confused when Jeff told him to call 911. He had just left his wife five seconds earlier, and he seemed perfectly fine. Brian ran outside and saw his wife on the ground. Right then, he realized that something was wrong, and he called 911. When Brian looked at his wife, he was sure that she was having a heart attack. She was unconscious, and she wasn’t breathing. The 911 operator instructed Brian to lie his wife on her back so that he could perform CPR. Neither Jeff nor Brian had any experience or knowledge of CPR, but the operator gave them instructions. He and Jeff worked together to keep Tina alive until the paramedics arrived. The two men worked hard, and Jeff got tired. Brian looked at the woman that he had known for over 30-years and knew that he couldn’t stop. He says that he pushed himself as hard as he could to keep his wife alive.
The Paramedics Arrive
The paramedics arrived at the Hines’ home; they immediately took over CPR to give Tina’s exhausted husband a break. Brian looked on as they shocked Tina’s heart to get it beating again. Brian says that they shocked her heart five times on the way to the hospital, desperate to give it a kick start. They were doing their best to get her heart beating again. Firefighter, Joe Sandman, says that had Brian not been performing continuous chest compressions, they may have never brought Tina back.
Trying To Save Tina
While the doctors worked to save Tina, her husband stood by praying to God to spare his wife. She was down for 27 minutes, and things were starting to look very bleak. Finally, the doctors brought Tina back. After being technically dead for 27 minutes, her heart was beating again. Brian had never been happier in his life, but what happened next gave him chills.
“It’s Real”
When Tina woke up, she couldn’t speak because she was intubated. A woman woke up after being dead for 27 minutes. Then she scrawled a spine-chilling message. She was given a pad and pen, and she scribbled the words, “It’s real.” Her family didn’t know what to think. She saw the puzzled looks on their faces, and she pointed to the sky. She was trying to let her family know that Heaven is real. When Brian saw that, he realized that God answered his prayer and brought his wife back to him.
Near-Death Experience
When Tina was able to speak, she said that she saw Jesus standing next to black gates that led to a bright light. She said that the colors were so vibrant that she couldn’t even explain it. She said that the golden rays felt warm and welcoming.
Tina Isn’t The Only One
Tina isn’t the only person to claim to have seen something like this during a near-death experience. There is a group that studies people’s near-death experiences called the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation. Their website is filled with stories just like Tina’s, which makes many people believe that the afterlife is real. Brian says he is just thankful that God heard his prayers and spared his wife.
