Devin Jacobs
Death is typically a final destination ordeal. Once you take your last breath and are declared dead, that’s it, right? Well, not quite because Victoria Thomas had a different experience where she was clinically gone for several minutes—and returned with memories she never expected to have. Her story is not what you’d think.
It Started Out Like Any Other Day
Victoria, 35 at the time, was in the middle of a boot camp session at the gym in Gloucester. She had just finished lifting weights when she began feeling lightheaded, like something had drained every ounce of energy from her body. She told a friend she wasn’t feeling right; then she collapsed to the floor.
What looked like a sudden fainting spell turned out to be a full-blown cardiac arrest. Her heart had stopped. Emergency crews jumped in with CPR and wouldn’t stop until they brought her back.
What happened next—and what Victoria says she felt during those silent minutes—is where things take a turn.
She Flatlined For 17 Minutes—Then Came Back Talking
Thomas was declared clinically dead for a full 17 minutes following her collapse. For those 17 minutes, everything science defines as “life” was absent. Yet when resuscitation efforts finally worked, she returned and reported a clear out-of-body experience and specific visual recollections.
The fact that she had recollections at all during that time raises real questions because most people don’t come back with anything but confusion.
She Didn’t Float Above Or See A Light. It Was Silence.
Victoria Thomas described her experience not with dramatic tunnels or angelic choirs, but with stillness. She recalled an overwhelming sense of silence. Just a quiet she couldn’t explain.
This wasn’t some Hollywood-style moment. She didn’t claim visions of heaven or conversations with passed loved ones. Instead, she noted how everything felt paused. That’s rare among near-death experience (NDE) reports, which often center on vivid visuals.
She Felt Like She Was Observing, Not Gone
During her appearance, Thomas shared that even while her physical body was unresponsive, accounts describe her seeing elements such as yellow gym equipment. She described this awareness as distant, but present.
Some researchers, like those involved in the “AWAreness during REsuscitation” study (AWARE), have explored similar cases where patients claimed sensory experiences during clinical death. While science still wrestles with the “how,” cases like Thomas’s keep piling on the curiosity.
Her Story Isn’t Filled With Visions—Just Peace
What stood out to her most? The peace.
This lack of fear, even in such a critical moment, is something NDE researchers continue to explore. The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) states that many survivors share a sense of peace even without seeing anything visual. Thomas’s case echoes that theme, giving more weight to emotional experience over dramatic visuals.
Her Life—And Outlook—Completely Changed After
Post-recovery, Thomas made it clear that her view on life, and especially death, shifted completely. Her time clinically dead gave her what she called “a peace she carries with her now.” That feeling didn’t fade with time.
Stories like hers often trigger deeper conversations. Conversations on how sure we really are about what happens when life fades. Uniquely, for Thomas, death wasn’t the end. It was a pause. One that made everything after feel different.