Suzanne Wool of Lower Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania.

May 19, 2012 - Reported in [readingeagle.com]. Reading, PA - Near-death experiences can occur at any age and have lasting effects.   "I was 10 years old and was hit by a car when I had mine," said Suzanne Wool, 50, of Lower Heidelberg Township.

Wool said she was riding a mini-electric bike when she was accidentally struck by a neighbor's vehicle. Thrown 25 feet, she suffered a cracked skull in four places, a broken foot and a badly bruised body. "I was in a coma for more than four weeks," said Wool, who operates an orthodontics supply company in Wyomissing. "I was given last rites three times, but I remember seeing white light through what seemed like a cone, which seemed to be pulling me."

For Wool, the pull was toward a perfect void of bliss, all silky and soft, a destination to be desired. "At the time, I wanted to go with the Lord; there was nothing more that I wanted," she said. But Wool said she also heard the words, "Remember your family."

In her physically broken state, she interpreted her accompanying visions of angels and family to mean that God wanted her to let people know they should not fear death. And Wool has tried to do that during her lifetime as a respiratory therapist and yoga instructor and now working as an entrepreneur in the medical field. "I'm not evangelical, and I don't believe in pushing my faith on others," Wool said. "But I've found people often find faith in times of distress."

Over the years, Wool said her spiritual nature also has grown, not only because of her childhood accident, but also because of seizures she has suffered and other visionary experiences as a result of them. "I don't remember a lot of my early childhood years (as a result of the accident)," she said. "But, overall, I've been so blessed to have had choices. I've been able to touch others in a life that has been given to me."