55-year-old man, who nearly died when his heart stopped beating, says there is ‘NO light to go to’

A 55-year-old man who was ‘brought back from the dead’ says there is ‘no light to go to’.

Kevin Hill’s heart suddenly stopped beating while he was in Derby Royal Hospital being treated for calciphylaxis – a rare condition where calcium builds up in small blood vessels in fatty tissue and skin.

The Derby writer recounted how peaceful his experience of ‘dying’ and coming back to life was.

Mr Hill, dubbed the ‘miracle man’ by doctors for his recovery, said he entered a ‘spiritual realm’ where he watched his body deteriorate from the touchline.

He caught the disease after having surgery in January 2022 because of a problem with his heart valve

His heart problem caused him to retain water in his legs causing blisters and bleeding – he lost five pints of blood which caused him to go into cardiac arrest.

He said, “I wasn’t looking at my body, but I was separated from my body.

“It was like I was in the spirit realm – I was aware of what was going on but had so much peace.”

Mr Hill underwent heart surgery in January 2022 due to a problem with his heart valve.

This caused him to retain water in his legs after taking medication and a year in hospital he lost 65 kg of water weight.

After the operation, Mr. Hill developed calciphylaxis.

The condition occurs almost exclusively in patients with chronic kidney disease.

He said, “I had the disease for months. My skin was eating away at me.

“I had three days where my legs were bleeding – it wouldn’t stop.”

He said he had lost five liters of blood and his heart had stopped and he was dead for a few minutes before doctors brought him back to life.

Kevin has made an almost full recovery and is now back home with his wife Camille Hill, 52.

Mr Hill, from Derbyshire, said: ‘I wasn’t looking at my body, but I was separate from my body.

“It was like I was in the spirit realm – I was aware of what was going on but had so much peace.

“I knew I was bleeding. I knew it was serious. Staff kept coming and going to stop the bleeding.

Kevin said he watched NHS staff from the sidelines trying to save him.

He said, “I knew I was dead. I was separated from my body.

“Then I fell asleep and woke up alive and the bleeding had stopped. I knew it was not my time to die.

“The situation made me refocus my priorities. When I got out of the hospital, my family atmosphere changed drastically.

“I became more resilient. I know I can bounce back.

Kevin has made an almost full recovery and is now back home with his wife Camille Hill, 52.

He said: “I am in the final stages of recovery. In my right leg I still have some pain but it’s not near the level it used to be – I would cry for hours.

“My pain level used to be 100 out of 10 and now it’s down to four.

“Everyone said I should be dead.”