Picture this: You’re at a funeral, sitting in a quiet chapel, a loved one lying still at the altar. A relative shares tales of their life, their goodness. Perhaps it’s a spouse, tears streaming down their face, trying to make sense of their sudden loneliness. Suddenly, the “deceased” wakes up and looks around, sleepy-eyed.
Wild, isn’t it? Sounds like a scene straight from a horror movie, but believe it or not, it has happened. Let’s dive into the incredible accounts of 9 people who woke up at their own funerals.
1. Matthew Wall 1571: An Historic Wake-Up Call
In 1571, a beloved young farmer named Matthew Wall tragically died in the village of Braughing in Hertfordshire, England. His funeral was a somber affair, with practically the whole village in attendance, including his fiancé. While carrying his coffin down a slippery lane, a pallbearer lost his footing, and down goes the coffin. Now get this, the thud woke Matthew up! He started knocking from inside the coffin. Can you imagine the shock?
Once the villagers got over their initial terror, they opened the coffin to find Matthew looking hale and hearty. He resumed his life, even marrying his fiancé. To this day, the village of Braughing commemorates the 2nd of October as “Old Man’s Day” and keeps the tradition of sweeping Fleece Lane and ringing a funeral and wedding bell alive, honoring Matthew’s final wishes from his actual death in 1595.
2. Nicephorus Glycas, The Bishop of Lesbos, Greece, Comes Alive
The year was 1896, and a local bishop named Nicephorus Glycas in Greece had just passed away. According to Greek Orthodox Church traditions, his body is put on display for three days for people to pay their respects. Day and night, the church is open for visitors, with priests keeping a vigil. On the second day, a spectacle unfolded. Bishop Glycas, apparently done with his long nap, rose from the dead!
Can you even imagine the shock on the faces of the mourners right then? Glycas, oblivious to the pandemonium, wondered why people were staring at him. Lucky for him, his position as a bishop granted him three days of display before burial. Had he been an ordinary villager, he might not have had the chance to wake up!
3. The Lady who Came Back to Life, Only to Pass Away Again
A strange and tragic tale of double trauma- Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov, a 49-year-old woman from Kazan, Russia. Picture a typical day in 2011; she’s doing her household chores when she has a heart attack. She’s rushed to the hospital, but it’s too late. She’s declared dead, and her body is prepared for her funeral.
Now, for the weird part. While her loved ones were mourning her, Fagilyu suddenly woke up! She saw the mourners around her and screamed. Understandably, people freaked out, including her husband, Fagili, who immediately rushed her back to the hospital. But, the excitement was too much for Fagilyu’s heart. In a heart-wrenching turn of events, she passed away in intensive care only 12 minutes after coming back to life.
It’s a bizarre and sad story, raising questions about the doctors who initially declared her dead. Could she have survived if she had been correctly diagnosed and treated in the first place? Unfortunately, we’ll never know. Fate, as they say, can be a cruel master. As for Fagili, her grieving husband, he demanded an investigation into this heartbreaking mix-up.
4. Syrian Bombing Victim Returns During His Own Funeral
In 2019, during the civil war in Syria that saw cities reduced to rubble, a particularly deadly airstrike in Damascus left over a hundred people dead. Among them was thought to be Mohammed Rayhan, who was shopping at the local market when the blast happened.
His body wasn’t found, leading his family to hold a funeral without him. You can imagine the shock when, right in the middle of the service, in walks Rayhan, covered in dirt and debris. A mix of fear, joy, and relief swept through the mourners. A miracle, indeed, but sadly, not a fate shared by thousands of others lost in the conflict.
5. Indian Man Comes Alive at His Own Funeral
In Lucknow, India, a man named Mohammed Furquan was declared dead while he was very much alive. In June 2019, Furquan was in a coma after an accident. His family, having already shelled out over $10,000 for his hospital stay, ran out of money. The hospital’s response? Declaring Furquan dead the next day.
Heartbroken, his family began the burial preparations at home, only to see his limbs move. Back to the hospital he went, this time to a better institution, where he was found alive and put on a ventilator. This incident led to an investigation, though one can’t help but be skeptical about what that would accomplish, given the capricious behavior of the doctors.
6. Egyptian Waiter Comes Back to Life at His Funeral and Parties with Mourners
Imagine the ultimate plot twist at a funeral: the deceased comes back to life! That’s exactly what happened at the funeral of Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi, a 28-year-old waiter from near Luxor, Egypt.
Declared dead after a heart attack at work, his family washed his body and began preparing for burial according to Islamic traditions. But when a doctor came in to issue the death certificate, something seemed off – Hamdi was still warm! A quick check revealed that he was indeed still breathing. The doctor revived him, causing his overjoyed mother to faint. What started as a solemn occasion turned into a full-blown party that went on till the break of dawn.
7. Woman in South India Awakens from Her Own Funeral and Resumes Daily Chores
Mallu Yallappa Chougule, a 55-year-old woman living in Muchandi Village in Karnataka, India, was declared dead by village doctors. Hindus in India usually cremate their dead within hours of death, so the clock was ticking for Mallu. Her family started the last rites and prepared for her cremation.
She had a fever and was admitted to a hospital, where her heart stopped. By all accounts, she was dead. But the story took a sharp turn when Mallu woke up in the middle of the funeral rites and started chatting with people. To add to the shock, she got up, walked away, and resumed her household chores as if nothing had happened. The doctors left clueless, couldn’t provide any explanation. Thankfully, Mallu had woken up before her trip to the crematorium, sparing everyone a real tragedy.
8. Man Resurrects in Body Bag, Lives for Two More Weeks
Walter Williams from Mississippi gave his family, doctors, and the coroner a good scare. Declared dead at 78 due to natural causes, this guy’s ‘dead’ body had quite the surprise waiting. The coroner finished his paperwork, zipped Walter up in a body bag, and went off to the morgue. Imagine the utter shock when the body bag started to move in the embalming room. Yup, you read that right! Williams was breathing.
Paramedics were called, heart monitors were hooked up, and voila – there was a heartbeat! He even got to go home, but sadly, two weeks later, he really did pass away. His nephew Eddie said, “I think he’s gone this time.” The coroner learned a lesson that day, citing that every case he does is a learning experience, and miracles can happen.
9. The Lady with the Ring
In 1705, Margorie McCall, an Irish woman, was believed to have died from a fever. To prevent further infection, her village rushed to bury her. Margorie was laid to rest with just a valuable ring on her finger, as her swollen hands prevented its removal. That same night, grave robbers targeted her grave for that very ring.
In the 18th century, grave robbery was a thriving business. But when Margorie’s grave robbers couldn’t remove her ring, they decided to cut off her finger. You can probably guess what happened next. The pain shocked Margorie awake, and the robbers fled, believing they had awoken a ghost. Margorie, covered in dirt, made her way home. And here’s the real kicker. When her husband opened the door and saw his supposedly dead wife standing there, he dropped dead from a heart attack. Margorie’s husband ended up in her grave the next day, while she went on to remarry and live a happy life. Isn’t that something?
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