KEY POINTS:
A Whakatane church group is celebrating a "miracle" survival of one of its members whose heart stopped in front of the congregation just moments after she spoke of her love for God.
It was only by chance that a specialist cardiac nurse, on holiday from Australia, happened to be at Whakatane's Seventh Day Adventist Church when Bella Laws, 59, collapsed on July 5.
The nurse, known to church members only as David, performed CPR, bringing Mrs Laws back from what she describes as a dark tunnel with the most beautiful light she has ever seen.
"It was so radiant. It was so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it, but it was so bright and it was so warm and it was inviting."
The mother of seven and grandmother of 28 had just spoken of her faith before 30 churchgoers, including five of her grandchildren, when she collapsed.
"It was a miracle. To me it is, and I'm grateful."
She said she had suffered from minor heart problems and asthma-related illnesses, but her heart had never stopped completely before.
The principal of Whakatane's Seventh Day Adventist School, Olepa Ki-Korenhof, said church members ushered the grandchildren away while others assisted David with CPR as an ambulance was called. The rest stood by and prayed.
Church members sang as they waited for the ambulance that took Mrs Laws to Whakatane Hospital. She awoke from her "bright light" experience to their voices.
"God, by his grace, saw that a cardiac specialist was in the house on the day," Mrs Ki-Korenhof said. "We believe that Bella's alive today because God saved her. Before we went to pray I heard him [David] say, 'I don't have a pulse.' When we were praying I head him say, 'We now have a pulse.' It's a miracle."
Mrs Laws was released from Whakatane Hospital yesterday.
