Testimonial - Spiritual Emergency and Rehabilitative Care [Doug Neises]

My name is Doug Neises. I work for Babybel here in Brookings, the cheese place, and I live in Elkton. What I like to do in my free time is flirt with my wife, and I like spending time with my children, and I like to hunt and fish.

What Caused Your Stroke?

 I found out my stroke was caused by a bacteria, and for some reason my body didn't detect it and it got into my system, and it attached to my heart valve. And so as my valve is working it started to grow, and then it could only hold on for so long. And that's what was causing my temperature being so high, and that's why because this was on my heart. And it broke off and went to the left, and there's different parts of your brain and it clotted the very bottom part. The only thing it affected was my speech, and so that's what went first, which was kind of a blessing. But, it doesn't let any blood at all through, and being as it was at the bottom of my brain it shut down everything.

What Did You Learn From A Near Death Experience?

It's really interesting that not very many people get that point of death, and actually really be able to think about it. And I was thinking, "I wonder if I'll know when I cross over? Like, what it's going to be like." And then I was like, "I'm gonna meet Jesus!" so I got really excited a little bit. I was like, "Oh I'm going to see Jesus, I'm to that point." And then I got to thinking, "Well, my wife was heavy pregnant" and I had two other children, and I was like, "Oh no, I can't leave now because I haven't even met my boy yet." And so I just said, "Lord, whatever you want to do; leave me, take me, whatever." And then I heard them say, "Well if he does make it, he'll be a vegetable." So then I was like, "Take me, take me." Because I didn't want to be, you know, nobody wants to be a vegetable.

What Good Came From This Experience?

It's actually been such a huge blessing. I know that sounds weird, but in my life it's been such a huge blessing because I have everybody ask me about it. I can hide it pretty good, but at first you could tell something was wrong, so they asked me about it and it's been a really neat way of sharing the Lord, and being like, "Have you ever thought what happens after death?" and just let people kind of start the thought process of, "Whoa. I guess anybody can die at any time."

What Does Your Care From Brookings Health System Mean To You?

It just means so much, the time that everybody put into me to get me back to where I am today. And what the Lord did for me, it's a gift. They told me that there was 98% chance that I wouldn't be a vegetable, and to be four months from that and be able to sit here and talk to you is a gift. From the hospital, from the Lord, from everything; everybody involved.