Don and Eva Piper have been in a whirlwind since Don’s death and heavenly experience of  January 18, 1989. Their extraordinary true story about how Don died and spent 90 minutes in Heaven -- followed by years of suffering with his injuries -- became a bestselling book and film titled 90 Minutes in Heaven.

Don had 34 operations over 14 months in the hospital. He suffered brain damage, internal injuries, a broken right leg at the knee and left one severed above his knee. He also lost four inches of his femur, and sustained left arm injuries. It took three years for him to walk again. Since his recovery, Don and Eva have spoken about their story to churches nationwide. With the release of this film, they are now talking to journalists about their ordeal. Below is my interview with them.

QUESTION: What’s the first thing you realized after the accident, Don?

Don Piper: Well, at the moment of the collision I took my last breath, and then I was surrounded by people I have known my entire life who preceded me in death;  so I knew where I was, in Heaven. It was unmistakable and undeniable. That was the first thing I remembered. I was away from here for 90 minutes, but it could’ve been 90 years or 90 seconds because there is no time in Heaven. I felt joy and bliss, and it wasn’t long enough for me because then I was back here sitting in the car with a man embracing my dead body and praying for me.

QUESTION: You had tremendous injuries when you were brought to the hospital and days and days to ponder over it. Did you consider that you might never be the same again?

Don Piper: Absolutely.  I constantly worried about that. I was so disappointed that I didn’t get to stay in Heaven, plus I came back to a brutal existence and very little hope that I would ever walk again or use my arm again. The pain was beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I could barely function, and I actually went into a really deep depression.

QUESTION:  What was your biggest concern when you arrived at the hospital, Eva?

Eva Piper: Initially it was him making it through five minutes at a time because he was so critically injured that they couldn’t tell me any positive things. It was rather “try this and that” and when you hear they’re trying something on your husband it’s very disconcerting. So those initial 10-14 days were simply just getting to the next five minutes.

QUESTION:  Eva, you also had other concerns like your children. How did you manage to get through this and focus on them as well?

Eva Piper: It was a very difficult thing, and at any time a caregiver is thrown into that situation it’s something they’re going to face. Their lives are already busy, but now you have something catastrophic to deal with. We had good friends who jumped in and helped, my parents came down to be there for our children, and I had to learn to let some of my responsibilities go. Letting other people help me was a big lesson. I learned because when I tried to do it all myself, I wasn’t doing a good job at anything. But I still loved on our children and would be with them as much as I could.

QUESTION:  It was very clear in the film, Don, that you could barely survive the pain. What were you feeling at that time what changed to make you want to live?

Don Piper: It was probably several months into the experience. I was physically doing better, but emotionally a lot worse. Early one morning I was pleading with God to send someone here who would understand how I felt. I really wanted to know how the Fixator I was wearing would turn out. And then I had some music by the bed to which God spoke out to me with thoughts that this is not about “me” but about Him and what I can do. I needed to help other people and turn this into a testimony. That was the turning point for the rest of my life. I knew then my pity-party was going nowhere. I needed to reach out to other people and help them get through difficult situations. So I looked for opportunities to mentor other people and everything got better.

QUESTION: Once the book came out I’m sure you came in contact with some naysayers.  What do you tell them about your experience?

Don Piper: I don’t. Religious arguments make people mad and you don’t change anyone’s mind. Although I must say some people who walked up to me wanted to shake my hand and offer me an apology, meaning they had heard me speak and saw my injuries and had misjudged me. What happened to me is a faith thing, and either you believe it or you don’t. I understand. Had this happen to someone else I wouldn’t have believed it either. I do get upset when I see mean-spirited people say mean or thoughtless things about me having never even met me. But I press on and work on trying to get people into Heaven.

Eva Piper: From my perspective, I wish people would investigate things more. Some people say he’s doing this for financial gain because of our books. From the very beginning Don did not want to profit from this. He has a ministry and when he speaks there are books at the table, but that money goes to other needy people or organizations, none to us, and even Giving Films is giving all of their profits from the film to charity. Our intention of the film is just to show people you really can go to Heaven and have hope about anything. That’s a win-win situation for us.

QUESTION: The book did have a big impact on believers and nonbelievers. What do you hope happens as a result of the film?

Don Piper: We hope people walk out of the film thinking “I’m ready for whatever happens next.” Because the death rate here is 100 percent. I wasn’t planning to die the day I got hit by a truck. I was ready to die because I had made my reservations in Heaven. But this proved that we do have to be ready, so we hope those people know how to be ready when they walk out of the theater or seek help in finding out the answer. We also hope they understand that even though you’re knocked down you’re not knocked out. There is a way to have a better life with Jesus Christ.

Eva Piper: We also hope they’ll be inspired to help others as all the groups that jumped in to help us were shown in the film. Driving me to the hospital, being at home to help me, and the prayers that were said for us all made a huge difference.

QUESTION:  Are you still in pain, Don?

Don Piper: Yes, most of the time, but I don’t talk about it. I just press on and do what I feel like I’m here to do. There are a lot of people in physical pain emotional pain and you can take it and use it as motivation. Otherwise you want to curl up in a corner, and I don’t have time for that. I experienced death once and until that happens again, I press on.

QUESTION:  I think Hayden Christensen and Kate Bosworth did a great job portraying both of you, and that this was Hayden’s best performance ever. How did you feel about their performances?

Don Piper: I agree. He loved this part and came prepared. He knew physically and emotionally he would have to do serious suffering himself. He asked me questions about life after death and wanted to know a lot of things, and he did a great job. I really felt his character; I knew that bed he was in. I knew that arm and leg that was hurting him and feeling incredibly uncomfortable. I think he really ran the gamut of emotions being happy and a devoted husband and father and then totally devastated and changed. I was proud of him; he did extremely well.

Eva Piper: I think Kate did an amazing job. We talked before we started filming and she asked me what I wanted, and I said please don’t play me like a hero. I just did what needed to be done. I think she showed very well how when you receive devastating news, become a caregiver and have to juggle things that you carry it all inside. And that one scene at the drive-thru where she broke down and screamed and yelled was very authentic.

QUESTION: What has been the biggest blessing of this experience for both of you?

Don Piper: On a personal level, the biggest one has been in meeting so many people, and as far as the film, in meeting the cast and crew, an entire new group of people and getting to know them and watch them play our lives on the screen. We’ve had great response about the film.

Eva Piper: As hard as it is to watch at the beginning, to go back and relive those special memories of special people who are no longer with us and how important they were to our lives. What a blessing from all those people who gathered around us, it is so heartwarming.

(Interview also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.)