Panama, 2024

At thirty-six, my heart began to fail in a hospital in Panama. The doctors gave me fifty-fifty odds. I had spent years building a life around competence, working for leading international financial institutions, performing a life of unbreakable strength. And now I could not shower without help.

What began as salmonella became myocarditis, suspected arterial blockages. A body in full revolt. The pain was beyond anything I had ever known. Sharp. Searing. As if a red-hot blade were opening my chest. I summoned the last of my strength to call for help. I pleaded for a doctor. I could feel how fragile I was, right at the edge of life and death. The last thing I remember was the blur of nurses rushing toward me. And then, everything stopped.

The hospital room faded. All I could see was a warm, boundless light — not earthly, not of any light I had known. Something wholly other. I knew I wasn’t alone. And I asked: Is this it?

The answer I received is in the book.