Been Dead, Never Been To Europe: My Recovery From The Widowmaker Heart Attack And The Brain Injury That Came With It

by Jon Johnston

Let me tell you how it feels. Jon Johnston worked hard to stay fit. But the sports website owner’s active lifestyle came to a crashing halt when he was felled by a widowmaker heart attack. Yet after spending twenty minutes legally dead, Jon miraculously returned to the land of living. Certain he’d regain his full strength despite the incident, he was blindsided by the news of permanent cardio damage. And still reeling from the idea he’d never be the same again, he suffered still more life-altering devastation when he learned the event had left him with a traumatic brain injury… In this thought-provoking, tragically funny account of one man’s incredible journey to death and back, Jon recounts his struggle to rebuild what he could of his shattered identity. Facing the grief of his body’s betrayal, the loss of his artistic skills, and limited physical ability, he shares his tortuous pathway to healing with humor, true grit, and raw honesty. Been Dead, Never Been to Europe is a powerful memoir that lays everything bare. If you like extraordinary experiences, laughing through tragedy, and remarkable tenacity, then you’ll love Jon Johnston’s story of a life blown up. Buy Been Dead, Never Been to Europe today!

Genres: Nonfiction

154 pages, Paperback

Published October 23, 2020

Reviews

[Shirley Read-Jahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this memoir very interesting and well-written. It held me spellbound. Not only did I want to know the medical details of what happens when you have a heart attack and die for as long as Johnston did, but what his emotions were, and how everything impacted his life during his recuperation and afterwards. He didn't disappoint; it's all right there. Not only that, but I enjoyed his black, rather offbeat, droll and sometimes ironic humour: “Most of my complaints to non-physicians were met with, “Are you drinking enough water? Are you staying hydrated?” Oh, really? I’ve never heard that suggestion. Drinking enough water—you don’t say? It was only slightly annoying the first thirty-seven times I heard it, but when it got to thirty-eight, I became convinced that everyone on the planet isn’t drinking enough water and that chronic dehydration is the cause for most of the world’s problems. Global warming? Not drinking enough water. Ebola pandemic slaughtering thousands? Not enough water. Lost your job? Should have had more water.” His comments on the ambivalence about his Christian faith made me chuckle: "Honestly, it bothered me that I’d been dead but had no personal revelation of God’s existence. My death was the second time in my life (the first being my father’s death) that death had punched me directly in the face. You’d think this would have been the perfect opportunity for God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all those saints to personally reveal themselves to me. I wanted a party, dammit. Never mind that I had peace, I wanted Christ himself to come to dinner with me, Heidi, and the family, change some water into wine, and make the perfect chicken Alfredo. We’d all have some of his wine, and Christ would reveal some secrets of the universe. Nothing too big—I didn’t want an existential crisis. I just wanted some of my questions answered. I wanted proof of Christ’s existence. Was Lee Harvey Oswald the lone assassin? Does the Loch Ness Monster exist? Or Bigfoot? ..." To offer us the opportunity to laugh at such a horrifyingly serious event in his life made the read of his memoir so much easier. I loved it. Well done indeed, Mr. Johnston.

[Nate McHugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book really gives an in-depth look of the battles people are fighting on a daily basis that you know nothing about. Jon with great humor and emotion describes the long road he has been on to try and recover from a "widow maker" heart attack. At times it is lighthearted and at other times it is a important conversation on faith and ultimately death. I truly enjoyed it as did my wife.

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting insight into a life lived after death. Makes you stop and think.

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"Did you see a light?" is a common question asked of those who have been dead. No one ever asks, "How did it feel?"
Let me tell you how it feels.
Jon Johnston worked hard to stay fit. But the sports website owner’s active lifestyle came to a crashing halt when he was felled by a widowmaker heart attack. Yet after spending twenty minutes legally dead, Jon miraculously returned to the land of living.

Certain he’d regain his full strength despite the incident, he was blindsided by the news of permanent cardio damage. And still reeling from the idea he’d never be the same again, he suffered still more life-altering devastation when he learned the event had left him with a traumatic brain injury…

In this thought-provoking, tragically funny account of one man’s incredible journey to death and back, Jon recounts his struggle to rebuild what he could of his shattered identity. Facing the grief of his body’s betrayal, the loss of his artistic skills, and limited physical ability, he shares his tortuous pathway to healing with humor, true grit, and raw honesty.

Been Dead, Never Been to Europe is a powerful memoir that lays everything bare. If you like extraordinary experiences, laughing through tragedy, and remarkable tenacity, then you’ll love Jon Johnston’s story of a life blown up.

[Killian McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's what I thought of Been Dead Never Been To Europe by Jon Johnston:

I gave it 4/5 stars.

Insight on the physical and the metaphysical.

I almost gave this 5 stars and somebody would be totally legitimate to say that deserves it. The only issue I took is there was some repetitive text throughout. However, that is also part of the story. The author, who suffered a massive heart attack and was clinically dead for several minutes, leads us on a journey both of recovery, but also reflection and finding contentedness. Sometimes it's necessary to go back and pull up threads already sewn to tie in new patterns. Overall, I found this book a pleasurable read and an education.

[Janci · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad had a heart attack in 1975. I had no idea of he was going through. I think this book would be beneficial for a lot of people to read.