Surprise! ‘Dead’ Man in Embalming Room Starts Breathing

Two funeral home directors thought it would be just another day in the office; it turned out to be anything but. A man thought dead who was being prepared for embalming surprised them when he suddenly began breathing. Walter Williams, 87, had passed away at the hospice center where he was being cared for, or so his family thought, so they called the funeral home. When Howard and Byron Porter arrived at the hospice center, they checked Williams’ pulse and the official declaration of death was made. They took Williams’ body back to their establishment in a body bag and began preparations for his burial.

Williams’ body was in the embalming room when suddenly, the Porters noticed that the body bag was moving. They could also hear Williams breathing. Shocked, they immediately called emergency personnel who rushed to the scene and got Williams hooked up to oxygen, heart monitors, and the like. They discovered Williams was very much alive.

Williams has a heart defibrillator implanted in his chest, and the Porters suspect that perhaps after Williams was placed into the body bag, the defibrillator began working again, giving his heart a jump start. Family members were beyond surprised when they got the call explaining that it was not yet Williams’ time to go. They are thanking God and calling it a miracle that they have their loved one back with them. While they are, of course, unsure about how much time they’ll have to spend with Williams, they are grateful for every second afforded to them by this shocking reprieve from death.

It was quite a surprise to everyone when Williams, who everyone thought was dead, suddenly began breathing and kicking his legs while resting in the embalming room. His family will surely cherish the additional moments they’ve been given.

By: Dave Schwartz