Near-death experience shines light on life

Simon Lewis, co-producer of the 1989 box-office success "Look Who's Talking," was in a coma for a month after a van went through a stop sign at 75 mph and struck his car, killing his wife on impact. /Image via salon.com

A brush with death often results in a profound appreciation of life.

Hollywood producer Simon Lewis was in a coma for a month following a deadly 1994 car crash in Los Angeles that claimed the life of his wife in an instant. He's written a book about his struggle for survival titled "Rise And Shine: The Extraordinary Story Of One Man's Journey From Near Death To Full Recovery."

This week, Lewis shared his story with the BBC's "Outlook" program. I listened to Lewis recount his ordeal as I drove home from work in pitch black darkness; it truly is an extraordinary tale.

The "Outlook" interview covers several amazing points in Lewis' journey: surreal memories from his monthlong coma, enduring more than a dozen surgeries and "retraining his mind to think" after losing about a third of the right side of his brain. One point struck me like a sledgehammer.

The "Outlook" presenter asked Lewis about whether the traumatic injuries he had suffered and subsequent recovery process had changed his character. "I have a very hard time arguing," Lewis replied. "I was not good at arguing before the crash, but now that is magnified. I don't know if I could have an argument because, really, how much does it matter in the great dynamic of the cosmos?"

Hear the interview of Lewis and his parents on the BBC.