Richard Green, a 62-year-old dad from the Midlands, experienced something most can only imagine: he was clinically dead for over four minutes after running the New York Marathon — and he overheard the paramedics telling his wife the devastating news.
After training intensely for the marathon, Richard injured his heel and began taking painkillers. Unfortunately, an unintentional overdose caused him to collapse outside a paramedics’ tent shortly after completing the race on November 1, 2009. The marathon was run in honor of his sister, supporting a breast cancer charity close to his heart.
Richard, formerly from Bordesley Green and once a member of the 1980s Birmingham band Streetcar Dezire, recounted the harrowing and life-altering experience in his memoir, The Luckiest Dead Man Alive: A Near-Death Experience Memoir That Will Change How You See Life.
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He recalls the moment vividly: “I heard one paramedic say, ‘He has no pulse; he’s not breathing. I think he’s gone.’ I was trying everything — blinking, twitching — to show I was still there. Then I heard my wife, Debbie’s voice asking, ‘What’s happening?’ The paramedic’s reply, ‘I’m sorry, ma’am, but he’s gone,’ will stay with me forever. Debbie fainted and was taken away on a stretcher.”
Though declared dead — no heartbeat, no breathing, no pulse — Richard’s hearing was still active for the crucial four minutes after death. During this time, he perceived a siren and heard someone faintly calling his name. He was rushed in an ambulance to St. Luke’s hospital in New York, where he was resuscitated three times.
For Richard, dying was not the end but a profound new beginning. “It felt like a rebirth. Colors became richer, sounds clearer, and suddenly I understood what life truly means.” This eye-opening experience shifted his focus from material pursuits to valuing friendship, kindness, and human connection. “It’s not the destination but the journey that counts. We leave behind nothing but our footprints.”
A remarkable twist to his story lies in his lifelong academic struggles — once a child punished for poor spelling and grammar, Richard went on to write a number one bestselling memoir on Amazon, touching lives across the world.
After just one night in hospital, Richard was discharged and returned home with a fresh outlook on life that’s far from spiritual or clinical. Instead, his story is grounded in his working-class Birmingham roots, a love of David Bowie’s music, and a journey filled with humor, chaos, and unexpected twists.
Richard, who also taught young people with autism, ADHD, and anxiety how to drive, sums up his transformation this way: “What if the day you die is when life truly begins? For me, it did. We must cherish every moment and keep faith. I didn’t come back with all the answers, but I’m convinced most worries don’t really matter.”
His memoir has touched readers nationwide, especially those who haven’t picked up a book in years. “People tell me, ‘I haven’t read a book since school, but I can’t put this one down.’ That means more than anything.”
Ultimately, Richard’s story isn’t about dying — it’s about waking up and learning how to truly live.