Proof of Heaven

Index

adaptability, human, 95

afterlife, 152–53

airplanes, author’s love of, 1–2, 61, 159

Alexander, Betsy (sister), 100

    and author’s birth family, 59

    and author’s return, 108, 113, 120–21

    birth of, 53

    at the hospital, 42, 89, 91, 94, 97, 120–21

    and onset of coma, 26

Alexander, Betty (mother), 50, 94, 99, 105, 108, 113

Alexander, Bond (son), 34, 105

    birth of, 12

    E. coli drawing by, 75, 98–99, 115

    and father’s illness, 14–15, 74, 75, 92, 98–100

    and father’s return, 110, 111–12, 115

Alexander, Eben Jr. (father), 50–52, 163

Alexander, Eben III:

    adoption of, 52–58, 64–65, 163–64, 170–71

    and alcohol use, 56–57

    biological family of, 55–56, 58, 59–67, 95, 144, 165, 168–69; see also under Webster

    birth of, 62

    in coma, see coma

    and depression, 57–58

    fantasies and delusions of, 115–19, 185–86

    as living proof, 135, 171

    medical training of, 7–8, 12, 50, 65, 130

    as N of 1 (unique case), 89–92

    and paranoia, 117–18, 120

    recovery of, 120–23, 124

    and religion, 34, 147–48

    return to earth, 79, 108–10, 111–14, 115–19, 120–21

    skydiving adventures, 2–6, 61, 85, 116, 118–19

    telling his story, 10, 124–25, 126–28, 135, 136, 144, 162, 170–71

    unique NDE of, 9, 77–79, 89–92, 135, 149

    and Years of Not Knowing, 66

Alexander, Eben IV (son), 34

    birth of, 12

    and E. coli drawing, 75, 115

    family heritage project of, 54

    and father’s illness, 27–28, 33, 75

    and father’s return, 111, 112, 120, 124, 126–27, 136

    and physical conditioning, 18

Alexander, Holley (wife):

    as artist and teacher, 12

    at church, 147

    and family, 34, 59

    at the hospital, 18, 26, 42, 88, 90–94, 97–101, 105

    and husband’s return, 108, 111–12, 117, 118, 122

    marriage of Eben and, 11–12, 54

    and onset of coma, 14–16

Alexander, Jean (sister), see Sullivan, Jean Alexander

Alexander, Phyllis (sister):

    and author’s birth family, 59

    and author’s return, 108, 113–14, 120–21, 122

    birth of, 53

    at home, 99–100

    at the hospital, 33–34, 36–37, 42, 53, 89, 90–91, 93, 94, 97, 120–21

    and onset of coma, 26, 27

    rainbow’s appearance to, 105, 113

Alexander-Heyward, Katharine Dayton (Kate), 100

amnesia, 78, 86

angels, 84, 104, 169

    as familiar NDE vision, 131

    guardian angels, 95–96, 102, 131

    see also Girl on Butterfly Wing

APACHE II score, 25

atoms, 150

awareness, 130, 158; see also consciousness

bacteria:

    E. coli, see E. coli bacteria

    gram-negative type, 25, 27, 42, 92, 149, 183

    Gram’s stain classification of, 23

    resistant to antibiotics, 43

bacterial attack, 21–22

bacterial conjugation, 20

basal ganglia, 187, 188

belief, power of, 155

Big Bang, 157

binaural beats, 159

Black Death, 43, 50

bliss, 124

Bohr, Niels, 154

brain:

    absence of, 8, 129–30, 135

    access to, 35

    adaptability of, 95

    attack on, 17–19, 20–21, 42, 132–33, 149

    as barrier, 72, 80

    and cardiac arrest, 134

    and cerebrospinal fluid, 19, 20

    in coma vigile state, 107

    concreteness of, 35