Woman who died for 27 minutes writes creepy note after being resuscitated

Where do we go when we die? Countless books and movies ask this age-old question, but the conversation continued last week on social media when Maddie Johnson shared a photo of her tattoo on Instagram.

The Californian woman's inking was inspired by her aunt Tina Hines, who died for 27 minutes before medics revived her.

Hines was resuscitated six times before coming back to life, four by her husband and two in the hospital. When she came back to life, she asked for a pen and paper and wrote down the words Johnson now has tattooed on her right wrist.

Credit: Madie Johnson

The marking, at first look, appears to be several overlapping lines. But a closer examination shows that it spells out the words "it's real".

When the people in the hospital room asked Hines what she was referring to, she pointed up "to heaven," seemingly "proving" there is an afterlife after all.

Johnson's viral Instagram post reads:

"A little over a year ago my Aunt Tina, one of the most amazing, discerning, and healthy people I know had an unexpected cardiac arrest and according to doctors had died and was brought back to life four times by my Uncle Brian and first responders before arriving to the hospital.

"She was put on a defibrillator and after miraculously waking up the first thing she did, unable to speak because she was intubated, was ask for a pen and in my cousins [sic] journal wrote 'it’s real'. The people in the room asked 'what’s real?' and she responded by pointing up to heaven with tears in her eyes.

"Her story is too real not to share and has given me a stronger confidence in a faith that so often goes unseen. It has given me a tangibleness to an eternal hope that is not too far away. I love you @_tinahines! The way you boldly love Jesus and others has changed the way I hope to live and love. [sic]"

A few days later, Johnson followed with a post that detailed what happened when Hines collapsed in her driveway, surrounded by her family. This post reads that Hines was shocked by her relatives five times, not four.

The young woman's two Instagram posts about her aunt's near encounter with death have received more than 22,000 likes. While several Christians commenters are deeply touched by the story, others are more skeptical.

Science says that brain activity continues after death. While medics officially have to declare clinical death when the heart stops beating, the brain continues functioning after. This allegedly means that, because you're still conscious of your surroundings, what you experience after clinical death can seem like a euphoric dream.

There's no way to know what's waiting for us on the other end, but here's hoping the thought doesn't keep you up at night.

This article first appeared on VT.co and was shared with permission.