Washington minister recounts 105 minutes dead, heaven visit and mission to share afterlife lessons

Dean Braxton, a Christian minister from Washington state, says he was clinically dead for 105 minutes during a 2006 hospital procedure that went wrong while physicians attempted to remove kidney stones. He reportedly woke in the morgue after doctors had begun documenting his death and later recovered without sign of brain damage, a result cited by hospital staff as remarkable. Braxton says the life-altering experience gave him an explicit sense of an afterlife and inspired a mission to share what he learned with the world.

He describes entering a realm he calls heaven, where he says he was greeted by relatives who had died before him, as well as angels, Jesus and God. In his account, the beings of heaven communicated primarily through thought, often in the form of instantaneous pictures rather than spoken words, and Braxton said everything in that realm appeared alive and intelligent. He recalled meeting his grandmother, Mary, and said the encounter extended to ancestors he had not known in life. He said the experience underscored the importance of family within what he calls the broader family of God. He added that upon approaching a threshold he described as the edge of heaven, Jesus told him it was not his time and that he must return to Earth. Braxton says he saw his own lifeless body and the medical team around it before reentering the living world.

The episode transformed Braxton’s outlook and became the focal point of his ministry. He has spent about two decades sharing his account with audiences around the world, saying the experience shifted his priorities from earthly pursuits to eternal concerns, particularly relationships and helping people connect with God. He notes that his wife, Marilyn Braxton, had to adjust to a different husband after the event, a change he describes as a direct consequence of what he experienced. He emphasizes that his message centers on meeting Jesus and that, ultimately, his words are not what gets people in — Jesus does.

Medical context surrounding Braxton’s account centers on the onset of a severe infection during the kidney stone procedure, which led to cardiac arrest. Doctors reportedly described Braxton as having no brain damage after the event, contributing to his nickname among some observers as the Miracle Man. The Daily Mail published Braxton’s account, and it has since become a cornerstone of his public testimony and ministry. Critics note that near-death experiences remain controversial and not independently verified in all cases, but Braxton’s story continues to shape his outreach and personal narrative after more than 20 years in the public sphere.