For musician, new life began at death
John Bernadot returns to Caledoniaís Christmas sing-along
Posted: 12/2/03
By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter
Sometimes its takes a strange twist of fate to make you realize whatís really important.
For John Bernadot of Winona, it was dying and then coming back to life.
Many people may remember Bernadot for his sing-a-longs songs after the Christmas parade in Caledonia. He has been missing from the program for the past two years because he has spent time recovering from a head injury that happened in the spring of 2001.
But he will be back for this yearís sing-a-long with fellow musician Patti Darbo on Friday, December 5 after the Christmas parade in Caledonia in the city auditorium.
His head injury occurred while he was unloading equipment from the back of a vehicle, and the door overhead fell on his head, rendering him unconscious. No one was around at the time, so he lay there until he regained consciousness, and then continued setting up his equipment.
He jokes that being a typical man, he didnít go to the doctor.
For the following six weeks, he experienced headaches so severe that he was often brought to the floor screaming in pain.
Bernadot was in the middle of a radio interview at a radio station when his brain shut down. Doctors said he was five to ten minutes away from death when he arrived at Mayo Medical Center. After they revived him, he was in and out of death for three days. ìIíd get so close to death, they didnít know if I was alive or dead,î explained Bernadot.
It was discovered that his headaches were caused by swelling of his brain, a third of which had to be taken out because it was damaged.
Bernadotís hope for survival were slim and if he did live, doctors predicted he would not be able to walk, talk or see.
But something miraculous happened while Bernadot was unconscious. Although not often talked about, many people who die or almost die experience things that perplex the human mind. Bernadot described an out-of-body experience where he was positioned above his body and witnessed the doctors working on him. He watched his children come in and out of the room to see him. Even more amazing was meeting with his wife and daughter, who had both died separately several years before him.
Bernadot recalls the event, ìI remember them both coming toward me saying welcome to me. I talked to them and then I said ëIíve got to go back.íî
When he came back to consciousness, Bernadotís first words were, ìI just saw them.î
Itís not surprising after such an experience, that Bernadotís viewpoint on life, religion and people changed.
On the day that he awoke at the hospital, he was told that 4,000 people in Ohio had been praying for him.
Bernadot has attended church all his life as a Lutheran, but after this experience a new revelation dawned on him.
ìWhether youíre Lutheran or Catholic, it doesnít have anything to do with where you end up,î he said.
A new beginning
The day that Bernadot awoke was the first day of his new life.
The part of his brain that had been removed was the part that allowed him to read and write. He literally had no memory of the words of songs, how to read and write, or the names of his children. Oddly enough, he knew how to play songs on his guitar because the artistic side of his brain was still intact.
He remembers those first few weeks in the hospital, and learning the ABCs from his two-year-old granddaughter.
Since his mind wasnít now equipped with handling the learning of reading and writing, it was extremely challenging to re-learn to read.
Bernadot said his brain could only take 15 minutes a day of learning before it would shut down. ìMy brain would not learn words, I didnít have the part left where that was stored. The ability to read... it had to build a new place with new connections to it. It doesnít even save them (words) very well,î he explained.
It took Bernadot a full year to memorize the song ìTears in Heavenî by Eric Clapton. He chose this as the first song to learn because it is about the loss of a child.
It has been two-and-a-half years since the accident. In that time, he has gone from not being able to read anything to being able to read a magazine or newspaper article. Now he can spend 2 1/2 hours on learning before his brain shuts down.
Although, it can be hard for him to sing from memory, he can sing along if he hears it being sung.
Since the accident, he can do some things better like make up songs impromptu. He added, ìMy photography work is so much better than it used to be. For some reason I can play fifties and sixties music, classic, rock and roll, and jazz.î
A new priority in life
Since that day in the hospital, Bernadot regained his family. He had several children who were scattered across the United States. They lived in Texas, Colorado, and Oregon.
Now most of them have moved to La Crosse or Minnesota to be closer to him. In fact, two of his sons started a business in downtown La Crosse this year called ìLone Wolf Coffeeî.
Bernadot describes himself as penniless because he used all of his money to pay the doctors bills. He even had to sell his farm to his daughter. But money is unimportant to him because he is blessed with being near family ìI am so fortunate. I donít have any money or any bills. Every one of my kids have put a room where they live where dad can live. Can you get any better than that?î
He feels that a high paying job should not stand in the way of spending time with and raising your children.
His son, Yale, said he spends more time with his dad now than ever before. ìWeíre playing all the time. We go camping,î he said.
Bernadot says he makes it a point now to play music at nursing homes on a regular basis because people react uniquely to it. He recalls one incident in which a 90-year-old man who hadnít spoken a word for years, after Bernadot began playing, got up and started singing and playing the drums.
Bernadot has a message for those who face death soon or later. ìYour day is almost done, but where youíre going is pretty damn neat. The next 10, 20 and 30 years donít mean crap when youíll meet (a loved one again),î he said.
Bernadot feels there's a reason heís alive. ìI think God has a plan. I wish heíd send me a letter.î
In the meantime, he wants to minister to people with his music. He believes in following the example of Jesus in the Bible. ìHe went out and worked on people, healing the sick and dying, every day of the week,î explained Bernadot.
Bernadot teams with Darbo
Joining Bernadot at the Christmas sing-a-long is Patti Darbo of Winona, who, he says, can do amazing things. ìSheís a great guitar player and singer. She just moved down here from northern Minnesota with her husband.î
Bernadot says the sing-a-long is a great time to involve the family. He smiles, ìThereís always a kid or two whoís ready to come out on stage and sing ëJingle Bells, Jingle Bells.í Anytime you can make your kids be happy, youíre a hero with mom and dad.î
The Christmas sing-a-long is scheduled after the parade in the Caledonia city auditorium on Friday, December 5.
Bernadot will also be performing at the AmericInn in Caledonia on New Years Eve.
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