At just 20 years old, Gabe Poirot was traveling about 30 mph on a skateboard when he struck an object in the road and was thrown onto the sidewalk. He wasn’t wearing a helmet and suffered devastating head injuries that left him in a coma for 18 days. While his family and friends prayed for him, Gabe says he experienced something he could never have imagined. He claims he found himself separated from his physical body and was drawn toward what he described as a place filled with light, love, and glory. According to Gabe, Jesus appeared before him and looked different from the familiar images he had seen growing up, with darker, Middle Eastern-looking skin, slightly curly hair, and a presence he said was impossible to capture in a painting. Rather than hearing an ordinary voice, Gabe described Jesus’ words as something that reached directly into his heart.

Gabe says the experience became even more powerful when he noticed what appeared to be prayers rising toward Jesus from Earth. He recalled seeing his family and friends praying for him and described those prayers as bridges that eventually helped bring him back. He also says he repeatedly heard the words “worthy is the Lamb,” a phrase associated with Revelation 5:12 in the Bible. Most strikingly, Gabe claims Jesus sent him back with a purpose: to tell people who He really is and to reassure his family that he was coming back soon. After 18 days, Gabe eventually woke from his coma, and he has since shared the experience through interviews and Christian podcasts. Whether viewed as a profound spiritual experience or something that cannot be independently verified, Gabe says the encounter completely changed how he sees life, faith, and death.