Noelle McNeil
"Heaven Exists"

Tragedy may happen to anyone of us at anytime, what you do with it determines who you are. ~ Noelle McNeil in Heaven Exists

Book Review:   “Heaven Exists” by Noelle McNeil, Outskirts Press Publisher
By Debbie Downie, CFA


Noelle McNeil is a lovely, poised and vibrant twenty-five-year-old who has survived a diffuse axonal injury to her brain five years ago during an equestrian competition.  The trauma left Noelle in a coma for eleven days and brought her on a journey “ascending through white fluffy clouds into the blue sky.  It was a beautiful and peaceful experience… toward a very brightly lit place.”  However, it wasn’t Noelle’s time to leave the living world yet, and so she had to return to her extremely broken body.  “I had been to heaven and now I would get a glimpse of what hell is:  waking up to find myself totally debilitated in a hospital unable to eat, walk, or function in any real sense.  Thus began the most terrifying and difficult journey of my life, and for certain the most important one: the journey to find Noelle again.  I was lost in a labyrinth of broken axons and a battered body.  I would, however, be reborn.”


Only three percent of DAI victims make any recovery at all, and only one percent makes a significant recovery.  Her heartfelt and earnest story of the long and arduous recovery is nothing short of miraculous, while Noelle’s drive, faith and courage are an inspiration to all. 


Humor, engaging, empathetic, uplifting, sometimes heartbreakingly poignant, offering philosophical wisdom
“I feel it was my calling to tell my story so that other young women who are struggling to be physically perfect may hear how empty this pursuit can be.  I also hope to inspire others who may be facing tragedy, or horrific circumstances in their lives.”