The Untold Miracles of Medicine Near Deer Creek, Chicago

The transformation that occurs in people who have had near-death experiences is one of the most well-documented and least-disputed findings in NDE research. Studies by Dr. Bruce Greyson, Dr. Kenneth Ring, and Dr. Jeffrey Long have consistently shown that NDE experiencers become more compassionate, less materialistic, more spiritually oriented, and less fearful of death after their experiences. These transformations are often dramatic and permanent, persisting for decades after the NDE. Physicians' Untold Stories documents several such transformations, as witnessed by the patients' treating physicians in Deer Creek, Chicago and elsewhere. For Deer Creek, Chicago readers, these transformation stories carry a message that extends beyond the question of what NDEs are: they suggest that contact with whatever lies beyond death makes us more fully human.

Book cover

Physicians' Untold Stories

by Scott J. Kolbaba, MD4.5 stars

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Medical Fact

A human sneeze can produce a force of up to 1 g and temporarily stops the heart rhythm — the origin of saying "bless you."

Physician Burnout & Wellness Near Deer Creek, Chicago

Deer Creek, Chicago's healthcare landscape reflects broader patterns in Illinois's medical system — the pressures of modern practice, the isolation that comes from witnessing extraordinary events without a framework to discuss them, and the gradual erosion of meaning that drives so many physicians toward burnout. Yet it is precisely in communities like Deer Creek, Chicago that the unexplained tends to surface most vividly, in moments that practicing physicians remember for the rest of their careers.

Physicians practicing in Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois work at the intersection of modern medicine and experiences that resist explanation. In conversations that rarely leave the break room or the on-call suite, doctors in and around Deer Creek, Chicago have reported encounters with phenomena that their training never prepared them for — from patients who describe verifiable details about events that occurred while they were clinically dead, to deathbed visions shared simultaneously by multiple family members, to recoveries that defy every prognostic model available.

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Medical Fact

Adults take approximately 20,000 breaths per day without conscious thought.

Near-Death Experiences Reported by Physicians Near Deer Creek, Chicago

The Midwest's tradition of county medical societies near Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois provides a forum for physicians to discuss unusual cases in a collegial setting. NDE cases presented at these meetings receive a reception that reflects the Midwest's character: respectful attention, practical questions, and a willingness to suspend judgment until more data is available. No one rushes to conclusions, but no one closes the door, either.

The Mayo brothers—William and Charles—built their practice on the principle that the patient's experience is the primary source of medical knowledge. Physicians near Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois who follow this principle don't dismiss NDE reports as noise; they treat them as clinical data. When a farmer from southwestern Minnesota describes leaving his body during a heart attack, the Mayo tradition demands that the physician listen with the same attention they'd give to a lab result.

Near-Death Experience Features

Percentage reporting each feature (van Lommel et al., 2001)

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Medical Fact

Hippocrates, the "father of medicine," was the first physician to reject superstition in favor of observation and clinical diagnosis.

Physician Wellness, Grief & Finding Meaning Near Deer Creek, Chicago

The first snowfall near Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois marks the beginning of the Midwest's indoor season—months when social isolation increases, seasonal depression deepens, and elderly patients are most at risk. Community health programs that combat winter isolation through phone trees, library programs, and senior center activities practice a form of preventive medicine that is as essential as any vaccination campaign.

Midwest winters near Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois impose a seasonal isolation that has historically accelerated the development of self-care traditions. Farm families who couldn't reach a doctor for months developed their own medical competence—setting bones, stitching wounds, managing fevers with willow bark and prayer. This tradition of medical self-reliance persists in the Midwest and influences how patients interact with the healthcare system.

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Did You Know?

Dr. Kolbaba has noted that the book's most skeptical readers often become its strongest advocates after finishing it.

Watch Dr. Kolbaba Discuss These Stories

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Did You Know?

The term "intensive care unit" was first used in the 1960s at Baltimore City Hospital.

Dr. Scott Kolbaba

Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba, MD

Northwestern Medicine internist. University of Illinois College of Medicine. Mayo Clinic residency. 200+ physician interviews.

Praised by Kirkus Reviews. Featured on Provocative Enlightenment Radio, The Higher Side Chats, Paranormal UK Radio, and many more.

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Did You Know?

The first organ to develop in a human embryo is the heart, which begins forming about 18-19 days after conception.

Faith, Medicine & the Unexplained in Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois

The Midwest's tradition of church-based blood drives near Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois transforms a medical procedure into a faith act. Donating blood in the church basement, between the pews that hold Sunday's hymns and Tuesday's Bible study, makes the physical gift of blood feel like a spiritual offering. The donor gives more than a pint; they give of themselves, and the theological framework makes that gift sacred.

The Midwest's Catholic Worker movement near Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois applies Dorothy Day's radical hospitality to healthcare through free clinics, respite houses, and accompaniment programs for the terminally ill. These faith-based healers don't distinguish between the worthy and unworthy sick—they serve whoever appears at the door, because their theology demands it. The exam room becomes an extension of the communion table.

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About the Book

The book's cover design — featuring a stethoscope and a glowing light — was chosen to represent the intersection of medicine and the miraculous.

Chicago: Where History, Medicine, and the Supernatural Converge

Chicago's paranormal history is extensive and deeply rooted. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 left thousands dead, and ghost sightings in the rebuilt city have been reported ever since. The Eastland disaster of 1915, in which 844 people drowned when a ship capsized in the Chicago River, created one of the city's most active haunting sites—workers in the buildings along the river report ghostly figures and sounds. H.H. Holmes's 'Murder Castle,' built for the 1893 World's Fair, was said to be haunted long after his execution. Archer Avenue on the city's South Side is considered one of the most haunted roads in America, running past Resurrection Cemetery and other sites of reported paranormal activity. Chicago's rich tradition of ghost tours reflects the city's deep connection to its spectral past.

Chicago's medical history is marked by groundbreaking innovations born from necessity. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 catalyzed the rebuilding of the city's medical infrastructure. Cook County Hospital established the nation's first blood bank in 1937, a breakthrough by Dr. Bernard Fantus that transformed emergency medicine worldwide. The city was also where Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries in 1893 at Provident Hospital, which he founded as the first non-segregated hospital in the United States. Chicago's medical schools—Rush, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago—have produced numerous Nobel laureates in medicine and physiology.

Types of Phenomena in the Book

Distribution across 26 physician accounts

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About the Book

The book's publication led to Dr. Kolbaba being invited to participate in documentary projects about near-death experiences.

Notable Locations in Chicago

Bachelor's Grove Cemetery: Located in the Rubio Woods near Midlothian, this abandoned cemetery is considered one of the most haunted places in America, with over 100 documented reports of apparitions, phantom vehicles, and ghostly lights.

Congress Plaza Hotel: Opened in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition, this hotel is reportedly haunted by numerous ghosts, including a hand that reaches out from a sealed-off room on the 12th floor and the spirit of a woman known as 'Peg Leg Johnny.'

Resurrection Cemetery: This Justice, Illinois cemetery is home to the famous legend of 'Resurrection Mary,' a ghostly hitchhiker in a white dress who is said to vanish when drivers approach the cemetery gates—one of America's most enduring ghost stories.

Cook County Hospital: Opened in 1866, Cook County Hospital was one of the first trauma centers in the nation and the birthplace of the first blood bank in the United States (1937); its iconic Beaux-Arts building is a Chicago landmark.

Rush University Medical Center: Founded in 1837 as Rush Medical College, it is one of the oldest medical schools in the Midwest and has been a leader in medical education, organ transplantation, and neurological sciences.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital: Affiliated with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, this hospital traces its roots to 1869 and is nationally recognized for its cancer center, cardiovascular program, and organ transplant services.

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Research Finding

Gratitude practices — keeping a gratitude journal — have been associated with 10% better sleep quality in clinical trials.

Death, Grief, and Cultural Traditions in Illinois

Illinois's death customs reflect the extraordinary diversity of Chicago and the more traditional folkways of the rural Midwest. Chicago's Polish community, centered in neighborhoods like Jackowo and Avondale, maintains elaborate Catholic funeral traditions including extended viewing periods, funeral Masses with specific hymns in Polish, and the sharing of kutia (wheat berry pudding) at the repast. The city's African American community, rooted in the Great Migration from the South, celebrates homegoing services that blend Baptist and Pentecostal traditions with powerful gospel music—a practice immortalized in Muddy Waters' and Mahalia Jackson's Chicago. In rural downstate Illinois, the Amish communities near Arthur and Arcola practice simple wooden coffin burials without embalming, with the community gathering to prepare the body and dig the grave by hand.

A University of Illinois ophthalmology professor called the book something they couldn't wait to share with premeds.

Physicians' Untold Stories

Medical Heritage in Illinois

Illinois stands as one of the most important states in American medical history. Rush Medical College, founded in Chicago in 1843, was one of the first medical schools in the Midwest, and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (1859) produced generations of leading physicians. The University of Chicago, under Dr. Charles Huggins, won the Nobel Prize in 1966 for his work on hormonal treatment of prostate cancer. Cook County Hospital, established in 1866, pioneered the nation's first blood bank in 1937 under Dr. Bernard Fantus and served as the model for the television show ER.

Chicago was also where Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries in 1893 at Provident Hospital, which he founded to train African American physicians and nurses. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab) became the nation's top-ranked rehabilitation hospital. Loyola University Medical Center and the University of Illinois Hospital rounded out Chicago's extraordinary concentration of medical institutions. Downstate, the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield addressed the rural physician shortage, and the Mayo Clinic-trained physicians who practice throughout the state, including Dr. Scott Kolbaba at Northwestern Medicine, represent Illinois's deep connection to the highest standards of American internal medicine.

Reader Ratings Distribution

Based on 1,018 Goodreads ratings

What makes these accounts remarkable is not just the events themselves, but the credibility of the evidence-based physicians who reported them.

Physicians' Untold Stories

Haunted Hospitals and Medical Landmarks in Illinois

Old Joliet Arsenal / Elgin State Hospital: Elgin State Hospital, which opened in 1872 as the Northern Illinois Hospital and Asylum for the Insane, treated patients for over a century. The older Gothic Revival buildings are said to be haunted by patients who underwent lobotomies and hydrotherapy treatments. Staff have reported disembodied screaming, the sound of running water in sealed hydrotherapy rooms, and a woman in a hospital gown who appears at the ends of long corridors.

Manteno State Hospital (Manteno): This psychiatric hospital, operating from 1930 to 1985, gained infamy for a 1939 incident in which an experimental malaria treatment killed several patients. The abandoned campus, with its tunnels and crumbling wards, is heavily investigated by paranormal teams who report hearing patients' voices, seeing faces in windows of sealed buildings, and encountering cold spots throughout the tunnel system.

Dr. Kolbaba, a Mayo Clinic-trained internist, spent three years interviewing physicians who came forward with experiences they had never told anyone.

Physicians' Untold Stories

How This Book Can Help You

Illinois is the home state of Physicians' Untold Stories, as Dr. Scott Kolbaba practices internal medicine at Northwestern Medicine in the Chicago suburbs. His Mayo Clinic training and decades of practice in the heart of the Midwest inform every story in the book. The medical culture of Illinois—where Rush, Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and Cook County Hospital represent the full spectrum of American medicine—is precisely the environment where scientifically trained physicians find themselves confronting experiences that defy their training. Dr. Kolbaba's book emerged from this Illinois medical community, where colleagues felt safe sharing their most profound and unexplainable patient encounters.

For the spouses and families of Midwest physicians near Deer Creek, Chicago, Illinois, this book explains something they've long sensed: that the doctor who comes home quiet after a shift is carrying more than clinical fatigue. The experiences described in these pages—encounters with the dying, the dead, and the in-between—extract a spiritual toll that medical training never mentions and medical culture never addresses.

Physicians' Untold Stories book cover — by Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba, MD

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Discover the Stories Medicine Never Says Out Loud

Physicians' Untold Stories by Scott J. Kolbaba, MD4.5 stars from 1018 readers.

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Physicians' Untold Stories by Dr. Scott Kolbaba

Amazon Bestseller

The Stories Medicine Never Told You

Over 200 physicians interviewed. 26 true stories of ghost encounters, near-death experiences, and miraculous recoveries that will change the way you think about life, death, and what lies beyond.

By Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba, MD — 4.5★ from 1,018 ratings on Goodreads