A young skateboarder who came close to losing his life after a serious crash has spoken about what he experienced while he was unconscious — including who he believes he encountered.
Gabe Poirot was 20 when he was riding his skateboard at around 30mph and hit an object in the road.
The impact threw him from the board and he struck his head on the sidewalk. He was not wearing a helmet, and the fall caused devastating head trauma.
According to Gabe, his skull was shattered. Friends who were with him gathered around and began praying, repeatedly telling him he wasn’t going to die.
Although he was unconscious, Gabe has said he could still sense that people were praying over him.
In an interview with The Christian Broadcasting Network a few months ago, he described feeling as though he was being “suctioned up” toward what he called an encounter with God.
“It was like this city of pure glory, pure light, pure love,” Gabe went on. “But then, as the closer I got to the centre of the city, He was there waiting for me. Seeing Him changed everything.”
More recently, Gabe expanded on the story during an appearance on The Lila Rose Show, a Christianity-focused podcast, where he discussed what he says he witnessed during an 18-day coma — including how he believes Jesus Christ appeared to him.
“He was about 5ft 11 [to] 6ft. Met me eye-to-eye. He was darker-toned skinned, close to like Middle Eastern, yet eternity at the same time,” Gabe said. “So, he was 33 yet eternal.”
He also claimed Jesus had medium-length hair and described it as “slightly curly.”
During the discussion, the host showed Gabe a well-known artistic portrayal of Jesus. Gabe said the image didn’t fully capture what he felt he had seen.
“I like that painting, but can I tell you… there is no image that you can hold in your hands that does him justice. Nothing does him justice.”
Gabe’s account is strongly rooted in faith, though many people who report near-death experiences describe very different sensations. One Reddit user, for instance, said their experience involved what they perceived as total emptiness.
They wrote in a thread on the platform: “Complete darkness, closer to a void. Absolutely nothing I was floating. But it was very peaceful. It was too peaceful that it was scary.
“I never realised how peaceful a human can feel. There was no passage of time I existed and didn’t exist at the same time. Main reason I believe death isn’t that scary.”