Dr. Mary Neal used to have a nominal faith in Christianity but not much more than that. That is, until she had a profound experience of Jesus and Heaven when her kayak capsized.

Dr. Neal was a scientist and an orthopedic surgeon by trade. But what happened during the kayaking trip in Chile back in 1999 changed her perception of God and faith forever, reports Charisma News. 

She tells her incredible story in the book, Seven Lessons From Heaven: How Dying Taught Me To Live a Joy-Filled Life, and she recently shared more in 'The Billy Hallowell Podcast.'

She described kayaking down a stretch of water with waterfalls when she ran into trouble.

'As I crested the waterfall, I knew that things were not going to go well for me,' she said.

The next thing she knew, she was submerged in water and perceived what she described as a 'radical shift in time and dimension.'

And yet, she doesn't describe fear or anxiety or terror as one would expect. Instead she talks about an intense sense of comfort and knowing that it was Jesus.  In fact, the word she uses to describe how secure she felt is 'held.'

'I was being held and comforted and being reassured that everything was fine, regardless of whether I lived or died,' she said. 'I was taken through a life review that was the first of many very profound parts of this experience for me.'

Now the reality and closeness of God is beyond all doubt to Dr. Neal. She shares that since that near-death experience nearly 20 years ago, she feels God in everything.

'The reality of God is [now] part of every breath I take,' she said. 'And God's presence is part of every thought that I have.'