Gabe Poirot has shared what he describes as a religious experience during an 18-day coma following a serious skateboarding accident, including a specific phrase he says he heard repeated throughout. It's worth noting upfront that this is a personal, subjective account of a near-death experience rather than anything independently verifiable, and such experiences remain a genuine subject of debate among researchers.
What happened to him
Poirot was 20 when he came off his skateboard at around 30mph after hitting an object in the road, striking his head on the pavement. He wasn't wearing a helmet at the time, resulting in a traumatic brain injury and an 18-day coma following the accident on 25 October 2021.
What he says he experienced
Speaking on The Lila Rose podcast, Poirot described being "suctioned up" and brought before Jesus, describing him as around 5ft 11in to 6ft tall, with medium-length, slightly curly hair and darker, Middle Eastern-toned skin, appearing to be 33 years old yet somehow eternal. He said Jesus didn't speak to him in an audible language, but that his words "were like spears to my heart," leaving him feeling deeply welcomed and loved. Speaking separately to the Christian Broadcasting Network, he described the experience as being drawn toward "this city of pure glory, pure light, pure love," saying seeing Jesus at its centre "changed everything."
The phrase he kept hearing
Throughout his coma, Poirot says he saw Jesus reflected "everywhere," describing the natural world as carrying a repeated phrase. He said: "The mountains and the trees. As the wind hits the leaves, they'll blow back and forth and they have a note to them. They'll sing 'worthy is the lamb.' And then the waves and the rivers of the waters of life will receive that same note and they'll sing back, 'worthy is the lamb.'" The phrase originates from the Book of Revelation in the Bible, where it appears as part of a chant attributed to a large gathering of angels.
What he says Jesus told him
Poirot also described Jesus giving him a specific message during their encounter, recalling: "When Jesus looked at me, he picked up my face, and he said 'Gabriel, why are you concerned about that which has been paid for?'" He said he was ultimately sent back to his body, with a message to tell people who Jesus truly is, and to tell his family specifically that he was "coming back soon."
A friend's role in his recovery
Before he regained consciousness, a family friend named Ginger prayed over him, later recalling to CBN: "I looked at him and I said, Gabe, you know my voice. You know, when I pray, I know you can hear me. I know you're unconscious, but I know that you know I'm here. I'm going to pray that you wake up. You've got to wake up. You cannot stay in this coma." Poirot has since credited prayers like hers as forming what he described as a bridge that helped bring him back.
