The only thing for certain in this life is that we are all going to die at some point. When it comes to dealing with the reality of death, many folks would rather avoid the subject entirely. But what would happen if you were actually forced to face your own mortality?

Such "near-death experiences" can happen to anyone around the world at any moment. While the nature of these experiences might be different, the one thing that all these survivors share in common is that it has completely changed the way they view life.

Below are some real-life accounts shared by normal folks who stared death in the face and lived to share their story. Hopefully these helpful insights will inspire you to live your own life to the fullest.

Ian McCormack

While diving for lobster one day on the island of Mauritius, McCormack was stung on the arm by a box jellyfish. By the time the ambulance arrived, McCormack felt completely paralyzed and necrosis had begun to set in.

At the hospital, he was clinically dead for a period of 15–20 minutes. During that time, the former atheist claims he saw a vision of his mother praying for him, went to hell and then to heaven. His bizarre story has been shared with several news outlets and talk shows.

Anna Akana
With her chirpy attitude and self-depreciating sense of humor, this budding actress and filmmaker has a pretty big following on YouTube.

In the above video, Akana reveals on how nearly falling to her death made her realize that, "Maybe before you decide to do something perilous, you should ask yourself if it's worth it." This is also not the first time that she's had a close encounter with death.
Ben Breedlove

This teenager first became known for posting YouTube videos about what life it's like to suffer from a rare heart condition while recalling his multiple near-death encounters. The video posted above features Ben recalling about the time when he was just four and was being wheeled around in a hospital:
“While I was still unconscious, I was in this white room; no walls, it just went on and on. There was no sound, but that same peaceful feeling I had when I was four. I was wearing a really nice suit, and so was my favorite rapper, Kid Cudi. I then looked at myself in the mirror—I was proud of myself, of my entire life, everything I have done. It was the best feeling. I didn’t want to leave that place. I wish I never woke up.”
A week after posting the video, Ben suffered a heart attack and died on Christmas Day 2011. Kid Cudi himself apparently "broke down" after learning about Ben's inspiring story.

Aron Ralston

Everyone no doubt is familiar with the story of this hiker, who spent five days pinned beneath a boulder in a Utah canyon before deciding to cut off his own forearm to free himself. His incredible story has since been turned into an Academy Award-winning movie starring James Franco.

Brent Case


While working up in the forests of British Columbia, Brent was suddenly attacked by a 900-pound adult grizzly bear. Once the animal started munching on his brain, Brent decided that his only option was to play dead. After the bear got bored and left his body in a bog, Brent somehow managed to drive himself 15 miles on a rough road to get to help.