Matthew Allick, a 43-year-old father from Romford in East London, says his life completely changed after he technically died for 10 minutes during a terrifying medical emergency. What shocked many people the most was not just that he came back to life, but what he said he experienced while being dead. According to Matthew, there was no bright light, no voices, and no dramatic visions. Instead, he described it as feeling like a deep and peaceful sleep.
Back in August 2023, Matthew suddenly became very unwell. He struggled to breathe properly, and his feet became badly swollen. His condition quickly became serious, and an ambulance rushed him to the hospital. But shortly after arriving, he collapsed from a cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism, a dangerous blockage caused by blood clots in his lungs.
Doctors fought desperately to save him. At one point, Matthew was declared clinically dead for several minutes. Medical staff used a defibrillator to shock his heart back to life and performed intense CPR that was so forceful it even caused internal bleeding. After finally managing to revive him, doctors placed him into a coma for three days while they continued treatment.
When Matthew finally woke up, he said he remembered absolutely nothing from the time he was dead. There were no memories of another world or any supernatural experience. He simply felt as though he had woken up from a calm and peaceful sleep. But even without remembering anything, the experience deeply affected him emotionally and mentally.
The father-of-two said seeing his story written down later made him realize just how much pain and struggle he had survived. He explained that many people become emotional or shocked when they hear what happened to him, but for a long time he did not fully understand why. It was only when he reflected on everything that he realized how close he had come to losing his life.
Matthew now believes surviving death gave him a completely different mindset. He says there is no challenge in life that truly scares him anymore because he has already faced the worst thing imaginable. He explained that once you come back from death itself, many of life’s problems begin to feel smaller.
Doctors later discovered massive blood clots on his heart and lungs, some reportedly as large as a cricket ball. Surgeons had to carry out several emergency procedures to try and remove them and stabilize his condition. The near-death experience inspired Matthew to write a memoir called Life After Being Clinically Dead. The book talks about the days leading up to his collapse, what happened during his medical crisis, and the difficult 18 months that followed.
Sadly, his recovery period was filled with many more personal struggles. Matthew said the year after his heart attack became one of the hardest periods of his life. He went through a painful relationship breakdown, lost his job, faced financial pressure, and even dealt with a health scare involving his son. At times, it felt as though life kept testing him over and over again.
But despite all of that, Matthew refused to give up. Slowly, things began to improve. He became engaged to his best friend, and together they bought a house. He also said his children are now doing very well, which gives him a lot of happiness and motivation.
His career also took an unexpected positive turn. Matthew managed to secure acting roles, including appearing alongside Steve McFadden in an episode of EastEnders, where he played a mental health professional. He also appeared in a Postcode Lottery advertisement.
Matthew says his experience taught him an important lesson about life. He believes people can either allow hard times to destroy them or choose to rebuild themselves stronger than before. He admitted he cried for a couple of days after everything happened, but eventually decided he needed to fight his way forward instead of staying trapped in sadness.
He now lives with a much deeper appreciation for life. According to Matthew, life is too short to spend every day worrying, and he feels he survived for a reason. He says the real tragedy is not dying, but dying without ever truly trying to live.
Writing his memoir came with its own challenges. Matthew has dyslexia, so putting the story together was difficult at first. To overcome this, he used a Dictaphone to speak his thoughts out loud before turning them into written form. Despite the obstacles, the book has done very well. Since its release, it has sold more than 1,000 copies through major retailers, including Amazon and Waterstones.
Matthew says he has received messages from people around the world who were inspired by his story and wanted to know more about what happened to him. He says hearing from complete strangers who connected with his journey has been overwhelming in a positive way.
One of his biggest goals now is encouraging people to donate blood. Matthew says seven blood transfusions helped save his life during his treatment. Because of that, he now works closely with blood donation organizations and shares his story publicly to encourage others to help save lives.
In October, Matthew returned to the hospital to personally thank the doctors who brought him back from death. He is also planning to reunite with the paramedics who first rushed him to the hospital that day. Today, he spends part of his time giving motivational talks and inspiring others with his survival story.
Although his health has improved, Matthew admits his body will never fully return to how it was before. He must remain on blood-thinning medication for the rest of his life, and he still struggles with everyday activities like sports and even cooking. But instead of focusing on everything he lost, he chooses to focus on what he still has and what he is still capable of doing.
