This week I was alerted to Lilou Mace’s 47 minute interview with Anita Moorjani on Youtube. If my memory serves me correctly, Anita’s case is referred to in an article written by Dr Larry Dossey and published in Explore journal:
(Dossey, L. (2011). Dying to Heal: A Neglected Aspect of NDEs. Explore, March / April, Vol., 7, No. 2, pp. 59-62.)
On February 2nd 2006 Anita, who had been suffering with lymphoma cancer for four years, was admitted to Intensive Care in Hong Kong. She was critically ill due to a relapse of her lymphoma. She was not expected to survive and her family were told that she would be lucky to survive another 36 hours. In fact, during the interview, Anita stated that she was actually pronounced dead by the doctor. Not only did Anita regain consciousness but miraculously her lymphoma cancer disappeared too.
Anita has reported a very deep NDE which incorporates many of the components that make up the NDE. There are many interesting points made by Anita including how she didn’t realise that she was in a coma when she was admitted to the hospital because she was still very much aware and could see everything that was going on around her. Also, as is commonly reported, her perception of time was greatly altered and everything seemed to be happening at once. Therefore making sense of the experience and trying to relate it to linear time was quite difficult as is reported by many NDErs.
A prevalent part of her experience was the realisation that we are all interconnected and when she was not in her body she was able to connect with those around her, even the nurses whom she did not know.
What was interesting to me was the fact that she was very much aware of her brother being many miles away and not being present at her bedside. She did not want to die because she did not want him to arrive at the hospital only to see her dead body. The possibility that patient’s have control over the time of their death is one thing I write about in my forthcoming book. As a nurse I have witnessed so many patients die either when their family leave their bedside to have a break or after the arrival of a person or after a particular event such as a family wedding has passed. Anita’s testimony supports the possibility that we have more control over our deaths than we realise.
Maybe the most important message that Anita has to share is how it made her realise that (like many of us, myself included!) she had previously been living her life out of fear of the consequences of her actions. However, her NDE taught her to live her life out of love for herself.
Anita’ Moorjani’s forthcoming book Dying to be Me is released at the beginning of March.
Thank you Anita and Lilou for the interview. What a great message Anita has to share with the world. I encourage everyone to watch the interview and listen to and hear what she has to say.
To watch the interview click the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjLouLHH-_I
Update of this Post
Today I received an email from Regina Khan who is Anita’s assistant. She has directed me to another video clip of a lecture that Anita gave which also includes the testimony of Dr Peter Ko, the doctor who examined all of her medical notes and verified her case. The video clip is approximately 20 minutes long – again this includes Anita’s very interesting and inspiring information about what she experienced and it also includes a clip of Dr Peter Ko speaking about her remarkable case. To view the clip visit Anita’s website, it’s the clip on the front page:
Dr Penny Sartori 
It’s an amazing story, but I’m not sure if it has been independently confirmed by doctors not awe inspired by the case. I read on the Skeptiko forum that it was stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma (a relatively treatable condition) not leukemia she was suffering from.
HI Michael,
Yes, this is really a very interesting case. According to the Youtube title of the clip is states that Anita had Grade 4B Lymphoma. (I had previously typed in leukaemia then realised on re-reading it that I’d made a mistake and corrected it within 5 minutes of posting).
What is really interesting to me having worked in intensive care as a nurse for 17 years is that doctors do not inform family that a patient has approximately 36 hours to live without very good reason. The fact that the doctors prepared the family for Anita’s probable death is testimony to how sick she was and how close to death she came. Anita stated on the Youtube clip that she had actually been pronounced dead by the doctor – this would be very rare mistake as doctors carry out a set of procedures when certifying a dead body such as listening for a heart beat, checking her pulse, checking her lungs to see if she was breathing. Further to this she would most probably have been monitored with her vital signs being show on the screen at her bedside which would show a flat heart rhythm and no blood pressure.
Obviously these things would also have to be confirmed by checking with the doctors who treated her and by checking her medical notes but the fact that she recalled such a detailed experience at a time when she was so sick suggests that our current understanding of consciousness is very limited. Anita also mentioned in the interview that she’d met with doctors who had travelled to Hong Kong to check her medical records so there is a possibility that details have been checked – if anyone has any more information on this please let me know.
One thing that is most important when analysing these cases is that we don’t miss out on what these experiences can teach us. Anita is testimony to her NDE being life changing and what she said during the interview is very inspiring. Although it is important to investigate NDEs from all perspectives it is equally important not to overlook the great wisdom that can be imparted from these people who have been very close to death and come back with a very positive message.
This is a very interesting case. The healing aspect to me I find so interesting. We see the same thing with one of the patients you reported in the study and it provides some physical evidence that something quite unique is going on and that it correlates with the NDE.
One comment I always find interesting in alot of these cases if the fact that these people do not know they are dead however have a unique perspective – as if hovering out of body. Its as if they ignore the obvious. A similar case was with Dr. Anthony D. Cicoria who had an very interesting NDE. I find that interesting. If you are not aware, here in the states we have a show called “I Survived… Beyond and back”. Its a weekly show where they interview NDEr’s. Dr. Cicoria and Dr. Alexander both appeared. They make available some full length episodes on the http://www.bio.com website.
Hi Tony, thanks for your comment. Yes, the healing aspect is very interesting to me as I too had a healing case in my research. When these cases stand alone it is very difficult to ascertain if it was due to the NDE. However, as more cases like this are reported the cumulative reports would tend to suggest that there is something that occurs during the NDE which we just don’t understand at present hence the importance of more research being conducted in this area.
Last Summer the Bio channel showed ‘I Survived… Beyond and Back’ in the UK and I saw most of the episodes. I will check out the website for the episodes I missed.
Great story. Very inspiring. Thanks Penny.
I loved watching this.Very uplifting, and thanks for the link, Penny!
I just wish there was some way to follow up on this case. For many people, a youtube video with someone’s first-hand experience will never be enough. Having the doctor state the veridical elements that Ms. Moorjani described would be immense.
I was debating this with a friend of mine and he brought up an important point: He is skeptical whenever someone is ‘selling’ something with an incredible story. It’s true — though I believe Ms. Moorjani’s experience was subjectively real, she does stand to profit off of making it more believable because she is a paid speaker and an author. Her doctor, however, would be risking his credibility if he verified her story. Therefore, his word would be immensely valuable because he has nothing to gain from the story.
My friend has a point, and after considering it, I began to get frustrated that no one that interviews Ms. Moorjani has bothered to ask “how can I get into contact with your doctor?” or “can’t we look at your medical file and verify some of this?” Sadly, this type of follow-up–which is routine practice in proving anything in law or science–is not often applied to NDE interviews.
Hi Alan,
Thanks for your comment. Yes it is a fascinating case. Your debate with your friend has raised a very good and important point.
Anita has stated that a doctor had flown to Hong Kong to meet her doctor and to verify her testimony by looking at her medical notes. I have tried to contact Anita to verify this but have been unable to do so directly as she was speaking at an event in London. I did get a response from a member of her team who directed me to further interviews that she has given especially the link below:
http://anitamoorjani.com/?page_id=459 there are also other links on Anita’s website.
I read an article published by Explore journal written by Dr Larry Dossey and he mentioned the case of someone from Hong Kong who had a NDE and subsequently recovered – I think this may have been Anita’s case that he was referring to but I will have to find the article to confirm this. Dr Dossey may have been the doctor who flew to Hong Kong to review her notes and meet her doctor – I’m not sure yet.
Although it is possible to make money from public speaking and being an author it doesn’t seem to be a motivating factor for Anita. She appears to be more concerned with helping others through talking about her very powerful message. To be honest, I think Anita is more likely to make more money from the job she was doing in Hong Kong than from being an author or doing lots of public speaking. I have spoken to so many people who have had NDE’s (some very detailed and life changing) but they simply won’t talk about it publicly so by speaking so publicly about her experience Anita has risked her reputation and risked being ridiculed or disbelieved by many so it would appear that she is ‘walking her talk’ and living according to what her NDE has taught her.
However, it is good to raise these important points and it is important to consider all aspects of everything reported. I will continue to try to ascertain if any independent doctors have verified her case and update the blog if I get any more information.
This is a great follow up. I appreciate your persistence. Cases such as Anita’s are rare and inspirational. Piecing together the evidence after-the-fact has to be difficult.
I agree. Anita comes across as 100% sincere, and I think she is bold to address such a personal, controversial, and taboo subject. Money is not her motive. While I’m sure she experienced what she says she felt, we’re also searching for clear and convincing evidence that this was objectively more than a feeling.
Thanks Alan, I’ll keep the blog posted if I get any more information.
I believe in miracles but this is hard for me. For anyone who has walked this path with someone they love, it’s complicated when you know who hard they sought to find their happy ending.
There has been limited medical review of her case, but the two doctors she did allow to look at her medical records (including Peter Ko) said that she became very ill with an illness which was characterized by generalized lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes in multiple locations), generalized swelling and some skin lesions. This progressed to the point where she was hospitalized with deteriorating level of consciousness and then coma.
Because she had a prior history with a potential Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis for a single lymph node, a presumptive diagnosis was made of Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. However, this diagnosis was not confirmed, as biopsies were not taken at that time. There was also a concern based on clinical exam that she had multi-organ failure, but diagnostic tests did not confirm this.
Because of this presumptive diagnosis and her poor condition, she was given chemotherapy consistent with the treatment protocol for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. When she recovered well enough to tolerate lymph node biopsy and bone marrow biopsy, no lymphoma was found in those biopsy specimens. It isn’t known whether this is due to a rapid recovery from the lymphoma, or whether she didn’t have lymphoma as the cause of her acute illness.
Both doctors considered her recovery remarkable because the response would be much more rapid than usual for stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The recovery would be less remarkable if she did not have stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but rather lymphoma at an earlier stage or a different cause to her acute illness.
I don’t doubt that her life was changed by her experience and her message is well-intended. But I also feel it’s wrong for her to make these claims about her diagnosis and recovery when that really isn’t quite the whole story. I know firsthand that there is a big difference between a presumptive diagnosis and the definitive diagnosis. You pray you will never get the definitive one and then must face it when you do.
Dear Ceoterra, thank you for your interesting comments. I agree it is very hard to put all of this into perspective when you have walked this path with someone you love. From my experience of working as a nurse as well as personal experience of my own loved ones who have died it is always harder for the people who are left behind.
I agree there has been limited medical review of Anita’s medical records. You make interesting comments regarding Anita’s diagnosis – did you get this information from internet interviews or have you had access to Anita’s medical notes?
According to Anita’s book she had been diagnosed with lymphoma in April 2002. She had an MRI scan which confirmed stage 2 at that point – it had spread from the lymph node (which was her original presentation) to the chest and under arm area.
In 2006 Anita’s condition deteriorated and she was taken to hospital and admitted to ICU. The fact that she was in ICU highlights that she was acutely ill. The fact that she required oxygen higlights that her lungs were failing and in her book she mentions that her kidneys had started to fail also. Without reading her notes it is not possible to ascertain if she was in multiple organ failure or not (she does not mention if she was receiving inotropic drugs to support her heart) but it is apparent that she was heading towards multi organ failure if not already in it. From my 17 years experience of working as an ICU nurse I know that doctors do not inform family of the probability of impending death (as they had done with Anita’s family) without good reason.
All that being said, the important thing, for me, about Anita’s case is how transforming her NDE has been for her. The fact that the she has changed her thoughts, and therefore changed her life, in accordance with the insights that she gained during her NDE is testimony to how powerful NDEs can be. The fact that she is no longer sick and no longer has cancer (whether it was stage 4 lymphoma or not) highlights that her new thought patterns are obviously of great benefit to her health. To me this is very inspiring and something we can all learn from without having to nearly die. All we have to do is hear the message – of course, whether or not we choose to take notice of these insights is entirely individual choice.
Hi Penny,
The story fascinates me and I value your research. I have contacted Anita’s website and her assistant Regina sent me an email stating that I could probably reach Dr. Peter Ko at University of Southern California. I contacted a Diane from the oncology department and she could not find any Dr. Peter Ko. She checked another California university and found no Peter Ko. The book states that he was from the Us but no confirmation has been found. Dr. Wayne Dyer has written a forward for her book and hasmentioned her case in his newest book, ” Wishes Fulfilled” . Why is there such a hesitancy to give this info if it is accurate? Want to believe but am somewhat skeptic.
Hi Carl, thank you for your comments. Thank you for your efforts to try to locate Dr Peter Ko. As I’ve previously mentioned Anita’s subjective experience as she came close to death really fascinated me as she appeared to report a very deep NDE which has had profound effects on her life. I’ve had no time to research Dr Peter Ko so thanks for your efforts.
For anyone else interested in Anita’s case it’s best to contact Anita’s website for further information as I don’t know any further details other to what I have read in her book and viewed on her website but I would welcome any updates anyone has.
Mmmm, A Dr Ko who doesn’t appear to exist. This confirms my initial suspicions of this case……
It would be most disappointing to find out that he does not exist.
Hi Penny,
Regina ( Anita Moorjani’s assistant sent me an excellent reply when I questioned Dr. Ko’s existence. ) She sent me a link showing Dr. Ko with a young girl. This is the same Dr. Ko on Anita’s video( see http://china.usc.edu/(S(1cfhxuffOtsjkz55mqmo1u45)A ). She also stated that Phil Whelan a well respected journalist and broadcaster has met Dr. Ko and can attest that both Dr. Ko and Anita’s physician Dr. Walker exist. Mr. Whelan still works at radio station RTHK . I checked and the station and the man do exist. http://programme.rthk.org.hk/channel/radio/index.php?c=radio3
There is also a radio interview on Anita’s website with the same doctors. If one needs to verify they can contact Phil Whelan and have him refer to the interview in 2006. Hope this helps .Regina has been most helpful.
Hi Carl, thank you so much for this information. It is very helpful.
News story about Dr. Peter Ko:
http://tinyurl.com/7b9y7rw
Yes, he does exist.
Hi Michael, thank you very much for this.
Hi, just to give you all some more information, particularly for those who are having trouble believing in Dr. Ko. I am based in Hong Kong, and actually saw him at the conference where he spoke about Anita’s experience a few years back. That was when I became fascinated with her story. You can see a brief video clip of him speaking at this conference on the home page of Anita’s site: http://www.anitamoorjani.com.
In addition, of course there is the radio interview, plus a local Hong Kong newspaper interview where the journalist interviewed him, also on Anita’s site, under the “print interviews” section.
In addition, a few weeks ago there was an article published in a Hong Kong magazine with Anita’s story, and the journalist located and interviewed Peter Ko, as well as her naturopath, Dr. Brian Walker. It’s a great interview. Check it out here:
Click to access Around-DB-Interview-June-2012.pdf
Some more info I have found first hand from her assistant Regina: She is currently being filmed for a documentary by National Geographic, and they have reviewed her medical records, and have confirmed that the rapidity of her physical healing to total and complete health was phenomenal, regardless of what it was that triggered it.
National Geographic have contacted Dr. Jeffrey Long, another oncologist who has taken an interest in Anita’s case from the beginning since she posted her story on his site. He has reviewed Anita’s medical records, and confirms Dr. Ko’s findings, and Dr. Long will be appearing on the Nat Geo documentary with her, reviewing the details of her medical records on the show.
On closing, I just wanted to say that I have met Anita personally, and I can vouch that she is well intentioned and a genuinely kind and caring person, and for her, it’s not about making money or selling books. Penny, you are correct in that she was making more money before this whole book deal, in the corporate field as a cultural trainer, and had a position that people would have given their right arm for. She gave it all up because people are demanding her time, and she is giving it to them, because she can not forget how much she truly suffered during her cancer and does not want others to go through the same thing. She genuinely believes that if people, particularly those in the medical industry, looked at cancer differently, we would be able to reduce the number of aggressive cancers that seem to be arising today. She does not believe that the cure for cancer lies in research into more and more aggressive chemical treatments or diagnostic tools. It lies somewhere else – perhaps it lies in becoming aware of our own emotional needs. She would like to see more research done in the direction of our emotions being linked to illnesses like cancer. Anyway, I don’t want to speak for her, as I am not able to do justice to her message, but she does not go about sharing her message in an agressive way, nor is she trying to sell anything and never judges what treatment people choose. She just shares her story freely, that’s all. She never even tells people to buy her book. She tells them that there is a lot of information available freely on her website.
Hope this helps put things into perspective! 🙂
Hi Ronnie, thank you so much for such a detailed and well researched reply. It is most helpful.
It is very interesting that the National Geographic channel is making a documentary on Anita’s case. I look forward to watching this when it is shown on TV.
My pleasure, Dr. Sartori! I’m glad to be of help.
Good heavens, I thought this thread had stopped ages ago. Glad I came back for a look, some great posts. As for Peter Ko not existing… ..I heard him on the radio link on Anita’s website more than a year ago, maybe more.
we don’t say he doesn’t exist. we say he isn’t a famous oncologist as he claims to be.
I’m not sure that Dr Peter Ko has ever claimed to be famous. He is just an oncologist with a particular interest in Anita’s case.
I have just done a comprehensive search on the web for Peter Ko and he simply doesn’t seem to be legitimate.
This link gives a pretty good overview of why:
http://boinkie.blogspot.ca/2013/01/when-nde-doesnt-meet-smell-test-find-dr.html
Not to want to take anything away from Anita’s experience, but to me this is a first indication that not all is well with Anita’s story.
Thanks for this. It will be interesting to see the National Geographic documentary.