Imagine attending a funeral for your loved one, only to hear them knocking on their casket and gasping for air. That’s what happened to the relatives of Bella Montoya, a 76-year-old woman from Ecuador who was declared dead by doctors after suffering a suspected stroke.
According to various news sources , Montoya was taken to the hospital on Friday, June 9th, 2023, after telling her son that she felt unwell. Three hours later, doctors announced her death and handed over her identity documents and a death certificate to her family.
The family then brought her to a funeral home and were holding a wake later that day when they started to hear strange sounds coming from the casket. After opening it to change her clothes ahead of the burial, they were astonished to discover that Montoya was alive and breathing heavily.
Montoya’s son, Gilberto Barbera, told the Associated Press that his mother was unconscious when she was brought to the emergency room and that he was shocked by the turn of events. “It gave us all a fright,” he said, adding that doctors have said his mother’s situation remains dire.
Montoya reportedly experienced catalepsy, a condition where a person experiences a prolonged period of rigidity and unresponsiveness. She had suffered from hypertension and cardiac problems in the past. Barbera said that his mother’s heart was now stable and that she was slowly responding to stimuli.
Montoya was rushed back to the hospital in the city of Babahoyo, where she was placed in intensive care. Ecuador’s health ministry said that it was investigating the doctors involved in her case and that a technical committee had been formed to review how the hospital issues death certificates.
Montoya’s miraculous survival has been celebrated by Ecuadoran media as a “resurrection” and has sparked curiosity and wonder among many people. Barbera said that he was grateful for his mother’s second chance at life and that he hoped for her recovery. “Now, I only ask for my mother’s health to improve. I want her to be alive and by my side,” he said.
