A near-death experience is enough to help anyone rediscover their direction in life. Tina was in the best shape of her life when one moment turned that all around. What she learned from that day was enough to reshape her entire outlook...
A Life-Changing Event
Tina Hines loved the outdoors. She and her husband frequently hiked the trails near their house during the warmer months, and the routine exercise kept her in great shape. However, one day their hike didn't exactly go as planned...
A Relaxing Saturday
Tina and her husband didn't plan on doing anything unusual that day. They were going to hike a trail they were familiar with so they could get out and enjoy the nature they were so lucky to live around. Little did Tina know that one moment later that day was going to change her life...
Sunny Phoenix, Arizona
Tina and Brian lived in Phoenix, Arizona, and had been alone in their house since their children had grown up and moved out. Tina loved to fill the time by staying active, which aided itself to her healthy lifstyle. Despite that, she was in for a huge shock...
Packed and Ready to Go
Because it was just the two of them, Tina and Brian always told a friend or a neighbor when they would be on the trail in case of an emergency. They packed their bags and were ready to hit the trail early in the morning. However, Tina noticed that something was starting to feel a little off...
An Unshakeable Feeling
At this point, Tina knew she should probably stay home. She felt uneasy as they drove off, like there was a pit in her stomach. However, she kept quiet about it so she wouldn't ruin their plans...
She was Having a Heart Attack
When they got to the trail, Tina's legs started to go numb. Her breath felt sharp and she was dizzy and disoriented. She collapsed on the trail and realized she was having an unexpected heart attack.
Her Symptoms Worsened
Panicked, Brian called 911 and watched as Tina continued to struggle to breathe. Her face started to turn purple as she counted down her final moments. Under these circumstances, she should have died...
Acting Fast
While on the phone, the operator instructed Brian to give Tina CPR. He followed their instructions for a few minutes, but every time her heart started beating again, it would stop. She faded in and out of consciousness for several minutes...
Help Finally Arrives
Fortunately, help arrived shortly after that. Panicked and standing alone on the trail, Brian started to shout so the paramedics knew how to find them. Tina was fading fast if they didn't work quickly...
It Was Going To Take a Miracle
With the added help of a defibrillator, the paramedics were able to start her heart again, but it wasn't looking good. She was going to have to be rushed to the ER. Brian followed Tina to the hospital in their car to await her fate...
Fighting the Clock
The doctors were racing to save her life. Tina had been in and out of consciousness for thirty minutes, with her heart stopping and starting at a startling rate. By the time they stabilized her, something incredible had happened...
She Had Something to Say
When she regained consciousness, Tina started to gesture for her husband. He was worried she was panicking after the day's events were coming back to her. He had no idea what she was about to say would be so shocking...
Writing It Down
Tina was unable to speak because of all the tubes in her mouth. He ran and grabbed her a piece of paper and a pen so she could write down her message. Even she couldn't believe what she was about to tell him...
She Started To Write
Brian watched intently as she wrote down nearly a page of text. She wrote quickly so she wouldn't forget her thoughts. While she'd been unconscious, she'd had a dream...
What Did This Mean?
When Brian looked at the page, some of the text was completely jumbled. Though she'd been writing incredibly fast, eventually the words started to clear. He couldn't believe what he was reading...
The Message
The message Tina scribbled over and over said "It's real." Brian and the nurses asked, "What's real?" She started to explain herself...
Heaven Is Real
Tina said that heaven was real, and in the half-hour that she was technically dead, she had a vision. She'd seen heaven, and she knew that she was safe. Brian was completely shocked...
Pearly Gates
Tina said she saw God, and she saw a gate just like every story talks about. She knew for a fact that she'd made it to heaven. There was no other way to explain what was happening...
Was It Just a Dream?
After she told her family what she'd seen, they started to worry about her. Had she actually suffered brain damage from the incident? How could what she'd seen possibly be real?
A Visit From Her Niece
While she was still in the hospital, her niece Maddie came to visit. She told Tina that her story is worth sharing with people. She told Tina, “It has given me a tangibleness to an eternal hope that is not too far away. I love you."
An Affected Family
A near-death experience would shake any family. Tina's is no exception. One of Tina's family members had a unique idea for how to cope with this event...
Maddie's Idea
Maddie copied her aunt's message. Her idea wasn't to commemorate the message. She had another idea. She wanted people to see this...
Tattooed Forever
Maddie decided to tattoo "It's real" in her aunt's writing on her body. Whenever she felt hopeless, she looked at it and remembered that heaven is real. She says her aunt's experience gave her life a new direction...
A Healthy Lifestyle
Tina was released from the hospital a few weeks after her heart attack. She was starting to gain some social media attention because of the message. Some people were skeptical of what she saw, but many people believed her...
A New Beginning
Since the event, Tina has also looked at this near-death experience as a new lease on life. She and Brian live an even healthier lifestyle than before. Tina also hopes to share her story with more people...
Writing It All Down
With much encouragement from her family, Tina decided to write a book about her life and heart attack. She detailed her experiences with faith and spirituality and how to never take anything for granted. It had a bigger impact than she thought...
Public Speaking Panels
Tina started to speak at events for people who had lost their faith or their purpose in life. She talked about how she found a new sense of purpose in life after it was almost taken from her. She wanted to be inspiring to people who were struggling with finding their direction...
A Positive Social Media Presence
Though she wasn't used to it before, Tina found her footing with social media and also took to blogging. She gave weekly updates on her life and shared photos of herself enjoying activities that she loved. Though she wasn't trying to be any sort of social media maven, she was picking up a following...
A Wide Reach
Tina used her newfound platform to spread joy to people who followed her, both friends and strangers alike. She never would have thought that her recovery would be so inspirational to people who needed some guidance. She was really making the most of this new lease on life...
Never Taking Anything For Granted
Tina wasn't afraid to get back on the trail after her heart attack, and she didn't want other people to be afraid of taking new risks after their own recovery. Her vision after her heart attack had inspired her to live fully in the present.