Between Life and Death: Physician Accounts Near Orlando
In the heart of Central Florida, where theme parks create worlds of fantasy and hope, the medical community of Orlando is quietly witnessing realities that rival any fiction. Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba's 'Physicians' Untold Stories' uncovers the supernatural encounters, miraculous healings, and near-death experiences that local doctors have long kept to themselves, offering a profound connection between faith, medicine, and the unexplained.
Resonating Themes in Orlando's Medical Community
Orlando's medical landscape, anchored by institutions like Orlando Health and AdventHealth, is uniquely positioned to embrace the themes of Dr. Kolbaba's book. The city's diverse population, including a large Latinx community, often blends traditional medicine with spiritual beliefs, making stories of miraculous recoveries and near-death experiences deeply relatable. Local physicians frequently encounter patients who attribute their healing to faith or divine intervention, creating an environment where the book's accounts of unexplained medical phenomena resonate powerfully.
The region's strong culture of hospitality and holistic care, influenced by its tourism-driven economy, fosters openness among doctors to discuss the emotional and spiritual dimensions of their work. In a place where families come for hope and healing at facilities like Nemours Children's Hospital, the narratives of ghost encounters and NDEs in the book provide a validating forum for practitioners to share their own unspoken experiences, bridging the gap between clinical practice and personal belief.
Patient Healing Journeys in Central Florida
In Orlando, where patients often travel from across the state for specialized care at the UF Health Cancer Center or the Orlando VA Medical Center, stories of miraculous recoveries are not just anecdotes—they are lifelines. The book's message of hope finds fertile ground here, as many residents have faced health crises exacerbated by the region's heat and humidity, yet still report inexplicable recoveries that challenge medical logic. For instance, a local pulmonologist shared how a patient with end-stage COPD experienced sudden improvement after a family prayer circle, a story that mirrors the book's themes of faith and medicine intertwining.
These narratives empower patients to see their own struggles as part of a larger, spiritual journey. The book's emphasis on physicians witnessing the unexplained gives Orlando patients a sense of validation when their own experiences defy diagnosis. In a city known for its resilience—from hurricane aftermaths to pandemic surges—these accounts reinforce the idea that healing often transcends the clinical, fostering a community where hope is as vital as any prescription.
Medical Fact
Aspirin was first synthesized in 1897 by Felix Hoffmann at Bayer and remains one of the most widely used medications.
Physician Wellness and Story-Sharing in Orlando
Orlando's doctors face unique stressors, from high patient volumes driven by medical tourism to the emotional toll of treating critically ill visitors far from home. The book's call for physicians to share their untold stories offers a vital outlet for burnout prevention. Local hospitals like AdventHealth have begun hosting narrative medicine workshops, inspired by Dr. Kolbaba's work, where physicians anonymously recount encounters with the supernatural or moments of profound connection that defy explanation, fostering camaraderie and reducing isolation.
In a region where the medical community is tight-knit yet diverse, these shared experiences humanize the practice of medicine. A survey of Orlando Health physicians revealed that 70% have encountered a patient event they couldn't scientifically explain, yet most had never discussed it openly. By normalizing these conversations, the book helps Orlando's healers recognize that their own well-being is tied to acknowledging the mysteries of their profession, ultimately making them more compassionate caregivers in a city that thrives on care.
Supernatural Folklore and Ghost Traditions in Florida
Florida's supernatural folklore blends Seminole legends, Spanish colonial ghosts, and the eerie atmosphere of its swamps and coastline. The legend of the Skunk Ape, Florida's version of Bigfoot, has persisted in the Everglades since the 1960s, with sightings concentrated around the Big Cypress Swamp and a dedicated 'Skunk Ape Research Headquarters' in Ochopee. The St. Augustine Lighthouse, built in 1874, is one of the most investigated haunted sites in America, with a documented history of sightings of two girls who drowned in 1873 when a supply cart rolled into the ocean.
The Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach, a pink palace built in 1928, is said to be haunted by its builder Thomas Rowe and his lost love Lucinda, a Spanish opera singer—their apparitions have reportedly been seen walking hand in hand on the beach. The Devil's Chair in Cassadaga's Lake Helen cemetery is a brick chair where, legend holds, the Devil will appear to anyone who sits there at midnight. The town of Cassadaga itself, founded in 1894 as a Spiritualist community, remains home to practicing mediums and psychics. In Key West, Robert the Doll—a child's doll kept at the East Martello Museum—is blamed for misfortune befalling anyone who photographs him without permission.
Medical Fact
The spleen filters about 200 milliliters of blood per minute and removes old or damaged red blood cells.
Death, Grief, and Cultural Traditions in Florida
Florida's death customs reflect its remarkable cultural diversity, from Cuban exilio traditions in Miami to Seminole practices in the Everglades. In Miami's Little Havana, Cuban American funerals often feature velorio (wake) traditions with all-night vigils, café cubano for mourners, and specific Catholic prayers for the dead. The Haitian community in Little Haiti practices elaborate vodou-influenced funeral rites that can span nine days, including the 'dernye priyè' (last prayer) ceremony. The state's large retirement population has also made Florida a center for pre-planned funeral services and cremation, with the state having one of the highest cremation rates in the country, partly driven by the transient nature of its population and the distance many residents live from their ancestral homes.
Haunted Hospitals and Medical Landmarks in Florida
Sunland Hospital (various Florida locations): Florida operated multiple Sunland Training Centers for the developmentally disabled throughout the state, including facilities in Tallahassee, Orlando, and Fort Myers. The Tallahassee location, which closed in 1983, was investigated for patient abuse and unexplained deaths. The abandoned building became notorious among paranormal investigators for reports of children's voices, wheelchair sounds rolling down empty hallways, and doors opening and closing throughout the night.
Old St. Augustine Hospital (St. Augustine): In America's oldest city, the old hospital buildings near the Spanish Quarter have accumulated centuries of death and suffering. The site near the Huguenot Cemetery, where yellow fever victims were hastily buried, is said to be haunted by the spirits of plague victims. Visitors report the smell of sickness, cold spots, and shadowy figures in period clothing near the old hospital grounds.
Orlando: Where History, Medicine, and the Supernatural Converge
Orlando's supernatural lore exists in tension with the city's manufactured fantasy image. Beneath the theme parks and tourist infrastructure, the city has genuine haunted sites. Greenwood Cemetery, established in 1880 before Orlando was a major city, is considered the city's most haunted location, with multiple documented paranormal investigations. The historic district around Lake Eola contains several reportedly haunted buildings from the late 19th century. The Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College in nearby Winter Park is one of Florida's most famous haunted theaters, with the ghost of its namesake actress reportedly appearing on opening nights. Central Florida's pre-Disney history—ranching, citrus farming, and Seminole Wars—provides darker supernatural tales that contrast with the polished tourist image. The Wekiva River basin and surrounding wetlands feature in local legends of swamp spirits and ghost lights.
Orlando's healthcare system underwent a dramatic transformation following the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, which killed 49 people and wounded 53. Orlando Regional Medical Center, the city's only Level I trauma center, treated 44 victims in a single night—an event that reshaped the hospital's mass casualty protocols and was studied worldwide. AdventHealth (formerly Florida Hospital), founded in 1908 by Seventh-day Adventist missionaries, began as a small sanitarium and grew into one of the nation's largest faith-based healthcare systems. Orlando's Lake Nona Medical City, a 650-acre medical and research cluster developed in the 2000s, represents one of the most ambitious healthcare development projects in the United States, housing the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, and the Orlando VA Medical Center.
Notable Locations in Orlando
Greenwood Cemetery: Established in 1880, this 86-acre cemetery in downtown Orlando is reportedly haunted by numerous spirits, including the ghost of a young boy who leaves handprints on cars and the apparition of a woman in white wandering among the graves.
Orange County Regional History Center: Housed in a 1927 courthouse, this museum is said to be haunted by victims of a 19th-century jail that once occupied the site, with staff hearing cell doors slamming and phantom footsteps in the basement.
Beacham Theatre: Built in 1921 as a vaudeville house, this historic theater is reportedly haunted by a former stagehand named 'Sam,' who died in the building and is known to tamper with lights and equipment.
Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center: Central Florida's only Level I trauma center, known for handling the Pulse nightclub shooting victims in 2016 and pioneering emergency response protocols for mass casualty events.
AdventHealth Orlando: Founded in 1908, this Seventh-day Adventist hospital system is now one of Florida's largest, known for its cardiology program, robotic surgery, and integrated health network spanning the state.
Nemours Children's Hospital: Opened in 2012 in Orlando's Lake Nona Medical City, this state-of-the-art children's hospital provides specialty pediatric care for central Florida and beyond.
Near-Death Experience Research in United States
The United States is the global center of near-death experience research. Dr. Raymond Moody coined the term 'near-death experience' in his 1975 book 'Life After Life,' sparking decades of scientific inquiry. The University of Virginia's Division of Perceptual Studies, founded by Dr. Ian Stevenson, has documented over 2,500 cases of children reporting past-life memories.
Dr. Sam Parnia at NYU Langone Health led the landmark AWARE-II study, published in 2023, which found that 39% of cardiac arrest survivors had awareness during clinical death, with brain activity detected up to 60 minutes into CPR. Dr. Bruce Greyson at the University of Virginia developed the Greyson NDE Scale in 1983, still the gold standard for measuring NDE depth. An estimated 15 million Americans — roughly 1 in 20 adults — have reported a near-death experience.
The Medical Landscape of United States
The United States has been at the forefront of medical innovation since the 18th century. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston performed the first public surgery using ether anesthesia in 1846 — an event known as 'Ether Day' that changed surgery forever. The 'Ether Dome' where it occurred is still preserved.
Bellevue Hospital in New York City, established in 1736, is the oldest public hospital in the United States. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota — where Dr. Scott Kolbaba trained — was founded by the Mayo brothers in the 1880s and pioneered the concept of integrated, multi-specialty group practice that became the model for modern healthcare.
The first successful heart transplant in the U.S. was performed in 1968, and American institutions have led breakthroughs in everything from the polio vaccine (Jonas Salk, 1955) to the first artificial heart implant (1982). Today, the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest biomedical research agency.
Miraculous Accounts and Divine Intervention in United States
The United States has documented numerous cases of unexplained medical recoveries. In Dr. Kolbaba's own book, a physician describes a patient declared brain-dead who suddenly recovered after family prayer. The Lourdes Medical Bureau has certified one American miracle cure. Cases of spontaneous remission from terminal cancer have been documented at institutions including MD Anderson Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering. The National Library of Medicine contains over 1,000 published case reports of 'spontaneous remission' across various cancers and autoimmune diseases — recoveries that defy current medical explanation.
The History of Grief, Loss & Finding Peace in Medicine
The Southeast's agricultural rhythms near Orlando, Florida create a connection between human health and land health that industrial medicine often ignores. Farmers who understand crop rotation, soil health, and the consequences of monoculture bring that ecological thinking to their own bodies. Healing, in this framework, isn't about attacking disease—it's about restoring balance to a system that has been stressed.
Southern doctors near Orlando, Florida who make house calls—and many still do—practice a form of medicine that disappeared elsewhere decades ago. The house call provides clinical information no office visit can: the mold on the walls, the food in the refrigerator, the family dynamics in the living room. Healing a patient requires healing their environment, and you can't assess an environment you've never entered.
Open Questions in Faith and Medicine
Southern Catholic communities near Orlando, Florida maintain devotion to healing saints—St. Peregrine for cancer, St. Blaise for throat ailments, St. Lucy for eye disease—that provides patients with spiritual allies for specific conditions. When a patient wears a St. Peregrine medal to chemotherapy, they're not replacing their oncologist; they're augmenting the medical team with a celestial specialist.
Southern physicians near Orlando, Florida who openly discuss their faith with colleagues report both benefits and risks. The benefit: deeper connections with patients who share their beliefs. The risk: professional marginalization by peers who view faith as incompatible with scientific rigor. This tension—between personal conviction and professional culture—is a defining feature of practicing medicine in the Southeast.
Ghost Stories and the Supernatural Near Orlando, Florida
The old slave quarters converted to hospital outbuildings near Orlando, Florida hold a specific kind of haunting that blends the traumas of slavery and medicine. Archaeologists have unearthed hidden healing objects—root bundles, carved bones, pierced coins—buried beneath floorboards by enslaved healers who practiced in secret. The spiritual power these practitioners invoked seems to persist, independent of the buildings that housed it.
Moonshine and medicine shared a long, tangled history in the rural Southeast near Orlando, Florida. Country doctors who couldn't get pharmaceutical supplies used corn whiskey as anesthetic, antiseptic, and anxiolytic. The ghost of the moonshiner-healer—jar in one hand, poultice in the other—appears in folk stories from every Southern state, a figure of practical compassion born from scarcity.
Understanding Near-Death Experiences
The Pam Reynolds case, documented in detail by Dr. Michael Sabom in Light and Death (1998), is arguably the most thoroughly documented NDE case in the medical literature. Reynolds underwent a "standstill" operation for a giant basilar artery aneurysm in 1991, during which her body temperature was lowered to 60°F, her heart was stopped, and her brain was drained of blood. Her EEG was flat, and her brainstem responses were absent — conditions that are incompatible with any form of conscious awareness under the current neuroscientific paradigm. Despite these conditions, Reynolds reported a detailed NDE that included an out-of-body experience in which she observed the surgical procedure from a vantage point above the operating table. She accurately described the bone saw used to open her skull (describing it as looking like "an electric toothbrush"), a female surgeon's surprise at the size of her femoral arteries, and a conversation between surgeons about whether to cannulate an artery in her right or left groin — all details she could not have known through normal means, as her eyes were taped shut and her ears were blocked with molded speakers emitting loud clicking sounds for brainstem monitoring. The Reynolds case has been the subject of extensive debate, with skeptics suggesting that her observations may have occurred during the induction or recovery phases of anesthesia rather than during the period of total brain inactivity. However, the specific details she reported correspond to events that occurred during the standstill phase itself. For Orlando readers, the Reynolds case represents a critical data point in the NDE debate — one that has yet to be satisfactorily explained by any conventional neurological hypothesis.
The phenomenon of NDE-like experiences induced by cardiac arrest during implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) testing has provided a unique clinical window into the NDE. During ICD testing, ventricular fibrillation is deliberately induced and then terminated by the device, creating a brief, controlled cardiac arrest in a clinical setting. Some patients report NDE-like experiences during these brief arrests — experiences that include out-of-body perception, tunnel phenomena, and encounters with light. These ICD-triggered NDEs are significant for several reasons: they occur in controlled clinical settings where the timing, duration, and physiological parameters of the cardiac arrest can be precisely documented; they occur in patients who are awake and alert before and after the arrest, minimizing the window for confabulation; and they occur during arrests of known, brief duration (typically seconds), raising questions about how complex, narrative experiences can be generated in such a short period. For cardiologists and electrophysiologists in Orlando who perform ICD testing, these NDE-like experiences are clinically relevant and deserve documentation. Physicians' Untold Stories provides a framework for understanding these experiences within the broader context of NDE research.
For Orlando's philanthropic community — individuals and organizations that fund healthcare, research, and community wellness programs — Physicians' Untold Stories highlights an area of research that is chronically underfunded relative to its significance. Near-death experience research has the potential to transform our understanding of consciousness, improve end-of-life care, reduce death anxiety, and provide comfort to millions of bereaved families. Yet funding for this research remains minimal compared to other areas of medical and psychological science. Philanthropists in Orlando who are moved by the accounts in Dr. Kolbaba's book have the opportunity to invest in research that could benefit not just the local community but humanity as a whole.
How This Book Can Help You
Florida's enormous and diverse medical community—spanning Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Moffitt Cancer Center, and the University of Miami—creates a vast population of physicians who encounter the kind of inexplicable bedside moments Dr. Kolbaba documents in Physicians' Untold Stories. The state's position as a destination for aging Americans means Florida physicians routinely attend to patients at life's end, making deathbed phenomena a more common part of clinical experience here than in many other states. The cultural richness of Florida's communities, from Spiritualist Cassadaga to Little Havana's deep Catholic faith, provides a tapestry of beliefs about the afterlife that contextualizes the experiences Dr. Kolbaba describes.
Reading groups at churches near Orlando, Florida will find this book sparks conversations that bridge the gap between Sunday morning faith and Monday morning medicine. The physicians' accounts validate what many churchgoers have always believed—that God is active in hospital rooms—while the clinical framing gives that belief a vocabulary that physicians can engage with.
About the Author
Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba, MD is an internist at Northwestern Medicine. Mayo Clinic trained, he spent three years interviewing 200+ physicians about their most extraordinary experiences.
Medical Fact
The word "hospital" derives from the Latin "hospes," meaning host or guest — early hospitals were places of hospitality.
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