LDS Podcast "Latter-Day Lights" - Inspirational LDS Stories

From the Brink of Death to a Testimony of Faith: Goldieloca Tautuiaki's Story - Latter-Day Lights

• Scott Brandley and Alisha Coakley

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What visions unfold when we’re face-to-face with mortality?

Hawaiian native and thriving NDE survivor Goldie Tautuiaki shares her extraordinary journey from being a vibrant college freshman with dreams of serving a mission, to confronting a life-threatening heart condition that caused her to flatline and be brought back to life three times in a matter of minutes.

In this episode, Goldie opens up about her profound near-death experience—including spiritual encounters during a medically induced coma, and overcoming medical setbacks that threatened her ability to serve a mission. Delve into the life lessons that have earned her title as a “Living Testimony,” and how these moments have deepened her faith and awareness of God's hand in her life.

Goldie's story is a compelling testament to resilience, emphasizing the miracles that can occur when we place our faith in God. Tune in as she reveals how her unwavering trust in the Lord's plan led her to fulfill her lifelong dream of serving a full-time mission.

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To WATCH this episode, visit: https://youtu.be/Tls5hH77LdM

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Scott Brandley:

Hey everyone, I'm Scott Branley.

Alisha Coakley:

And I'm Alisha Coakley. Every member of the church has a story to share, one that can instill faith, invite growth and inspire others.

Scott Brandley:

On today's episode we're going to hear how a near-death experience showed one woman how God's hand has been in her life and how mindful he is of each of us. Welcome to Latter-day Lights. Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Latter-day Lights. We're so glad you're here with us today and we have a special guest. Her name is Goldieloca Tautuiaki. Did I get that right?

Alisha Coakley:

Yes you did.

Scott Brandley:

Awesome.

Alisha Coakley:

I feel so bad for Scott sometimes because he does struggle with names, but yours is just amazing. Oh my gosh, it is such a great name.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I love it, thank you.

Scott Brandley:

You go by Goldie right.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Yes.

Alisha Coakley:

I love it. It like fits you too. Like, you're very, just just gorgeous. Like and Goldie, you're coming, uh, all the way from Hawaii, right, yes, oh man and the sun and all of the above. I love it. I love it. I have yet to be, you know, a visitor of Hawaii. I would love to go there one day. Scott, you've been. That's how you guys met, right? You want to?

Scott Brandley:

tell your listeners how you guys connected. Yeah, so I actually went to Hawaii and I went to church and Goldie was a missionary and she bore her testimony and shared the experience that we're going to hear today at least part of it and I went and asked her if she'd be on the show. So it's been been a minute since then, but, but we finally connected and now we get to get to talk. So I'm excited to hear your story again.

Alisha Coakley:

I think, I think maybe I should go take a trip to like Ireland or Greece or Italy during Fast Testimony just to get our next guest. Maybe our show can fund that.

Scott Brandley:

Well, if we made money, maybe that's true.

Alisha Coakley:

That's one little problem is we don't make money with the show. That's true.

Scott Brandley:

That's one little problem is we don't make money with a show, but we are glad you're here with us, goldie. Um so tell us a little bit about yourself yes, um, I'm from here in Hawaii.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I'm on the west side of the main island of Oahu. Um, I'm the youngest of five kids and it's a big age gap between my siblings and I, so you can tell how my upbringing was. I got everything I wanted but I still had to work hard for it. I just completed my mission in the Hawaii Laie mission about three months ago and I'm here trying to adjust back to reality. I'm still trying to keep the habits that I learned on my mission and face it onto this real world.

Alisha Coakley:

That's awesome. Now have you started dating yet I love matching. No, not yet All right. So anybody who wants to meet a golden goddess just write into our show. We'll do a vetting process.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

It would have to go through my brothers, but we'll see potential that's awesome.

Alisha Coakley:

How many brothers do you have?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

so I have one brother, um, but I grew up with a lot of my first cousins and so part of the polynesian culture, we, we grew up, we grew up as siblings, so I have a lot of extended brothers, yeah so my wife's, my wife's sister, actually married um a Hawaiian whoa did you?

Scott Brandley:

did you meet Marilee and Junior Ching?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

no, I haven't.

Scott Brandley:

I haven't met the Chings, yet they live just like four houses down from the temple oh wow, is that who you guys were staying with?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

when you came to oh awesome and they lived in Laie. Since then they got married, raised their family there.

Scott Brandley:

So yeah, it's nice to have family in Hawaii. That gives me an excuse to go there. So yes, and it's more cheaper if you have family here so are you planning on going to school, or what's your, what's your next step?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

yes, so I'm planning on going to school in the fall. I'm just online BYU pathway but I am working right now, but but just off my mission, just want to do back to work. Um, and yeah, I'm just waiting to go back to school in the fall. That's awesome.

Alisha Coakley:

All right. Well, ms Goldie, I'm super excited. I uh, I am on the other side of the table here. Normally I get to hear all of the stories first, but I only know what the listeners know. Right now, I only know your intro. That's it, and Scott actually is privy to more information this time around. So I'm very excited to hear your story. We're going to go ahead and turn the time over to you. Why don't you tell us where your story begins?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Yes, so I'm graduating high school of 2019, the class of 2019. And a part of my plan was I wanted to go to college and then serve a mission, because, as we all know, we have to wait until we're 19 to submit our papers to serve a full-time mission for the church. And so I had that year gap and I wanted to. I didn't want to sit around and do nothing. I wanted to. I didn't want to sit around and do nothing, I wanted to go to school. And so I applied to school and I got scholarships to the schools I wanted to go to, which was out of state. And one of the schools that I wanted to go to was University of Utah and my mom and dad they're on board with me going to to school but they just didn't want me to go out of state because I mentioned me being the youngest they wanted to keep me home so that I can just stay close to home, stay local and just go to work school and then prepare for my admission. And so I thought in my mind like, okay, I'm gonna go apply for these scholarships so that my parents didn't have to pay for nothing and that it will be easier for them to let me go. And so I showed my mom and dad my scholarship and my mom and dad said, no, you're not going to Utah, you need to go to a school here in Hawaii. And so I was like, okay, good thing, I have Plan B. And I applied to other schools here in Hawaii besides BYU Hawaii, and so I showed them those scholarships and my dad said, no, you need to go to BYU-Hawaii.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And I was so angry because I was like, why does my parents want me to go to BYU-Hawaii when I can just go to a school closer to home and work and just do that? And I could always just come back to BYU Hawaii after my mission. And I was so angry with them and we got into this huge argument because I was like, oh, I've been like so obedient my whole life and like I just want to do this for me. And growing up in a Polynesian home, you, you listen to your parents. So whatever your parents say, you do, and that's how I was raised. Like everything my parents said I did it. If my dad told me to jump off a bridge, I'll jump off it, and without any hesitation. And so that was how I grew up and that's why I was so angry because I wanted to explore, because I thought I was like oh, just graduated from high school, I thought I was like, oh, just graduated from high school, I thought I knew everything and I just wanted to explore the world.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And after that, my siblings they talked to me and I just had this feeling that I needed to stay. I needed to stay locally. I needed to stay locally in school. And so I missed the deadline for the fall semester after graduating high school and I had to apply for the next semester of winter 2020. And so I did, I applied and I got into BYU Hawaii and my parents were so proud, they were so happy and it was just so awesome that I was able to do that for them. And so I went to school January 2020.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And during that time, my dad he had gone to a trip back to the kingdom of Tonga for a family event and there he got injured and he had to come back to America, to Hawaii, so that we can take him to the hospital here. And so during that time I felt ill and I hid that from my family because, like our family's focus was to help my dad to get better, get well, so that he can go back to work and do the normal daily activities, and during that time I was throwing up. All the time I was out of breath, I couldn't keep down any food or anything and I thought I was getting fat. So I was like, oh my gosh, I need to exercise more. Because, like, why am I so out of breath all the time? And so so I didn't think anything and because, living so close to um Laiei abyi, hawaii, I came home on the weekends, and so I would come on the weekends, we would go to visit my dad in the hospital, spend time with him, prepare, like, with anything that he needed, and our focus is on him and my dad.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

He saw how much I've changed from the week before to the week that he saw me the next week and he was like, oh, is something up with you? And I just like brushed it off. I was like, oh, no, I'm fine, I'm just coughing. And he was like, oh, you lost a lot of weight. And I was like, oh, it's probably because, like, I just started school and like I haven't been eating a lot of food, just like snacking on stuff he was like oh are you sure?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

and he was like, yeah, I'm fine. And so I went down to the ER that my of the hospital, my dad, was in because he wouldn't let go of the issue, just so he told me to just go to the ER, just get a check, just make sure, like in case anything were, if it was anything anything bad. And so I went to the ER and they didn't find anything. Um, they just said it was a stomach flu and that it was going around, and so they gave me medicine. But for some reason I felt an uneasy feeling leaving that ER and I knew it was something else. But I just went with what the doctor said, because they were the professionals, and so I just took the medicine that they gave me and I went back to school and the symptoms worsened. So my classroom, from where my dorm was, was just like a two minute walk. But within those two minute walk I had to take like five breaks in between because of how out of breath I was.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And it would annoy me because I wanted to be a normal college student. It would annoy me because I wanted to be a normal college student. So, with that being my normal, I had to wake up an hour earlier to get ready for class, just to make it to class on time, even though my dorm was literally right next to my classroom. So it was very frustrating. And so that Friday I went home again that weekend and my dad was coming home and so everyone was happy that we finally got my dad to come home and he recovered well from his surgery. And when my dad came home, he saw how much I changed as well again and he's like okay, something is up, go to your pediatrician. And me, being 18, I'm like I'm talking back to my baby doctor, like I'm grown. And he was like this doctor knows you so well, so go to your pediatrician. And so I listened to my dad.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

So my mom took, took me to the, to the hospital, and the doctor took one test and he knew what was wrong with me. He found fluid in my lungs and that my heart was leaking. And my mom is bawling her eyes out because the doctor is telling me that I needed surgery heart surgery and she's bawling her eyes out and I just look at her and an overwhelming sense of peace just filled my body and I knew that whatever was to happen next, it was going to be okay and that the surgery we were going to do it. I didn't care if it was in the next hour or the next day, we were going to do it. And so, because I was too old already for the children's hospital, they sent me to their sister hospital, which was just five minutes down the road, and my mom followed in the ambulance that they took me to their sister hospital, which was just five minutes down the road, and my mom followed in um in the ambulance that they took me in. They followed me and I was checked into that hospital and the doctors they took so much well care of me and my heart surgery was delayed a couple days because because the levels of my liver was low.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

So the doctors wanted to make sure that my levels were good and that my organs were functioning well, because this was a big surgery that they were going to do Right. And this was news to my family, because I know I don't look it now, but I was the healthiest one out of all my siblings. I played sports in high school. I always did a physical checkup every year so that I could play the sports. So when this heart surgery came about, everyone was shocked. They were surprised because we don't have any heart disease history in our family and so with this news, like everyone was in shock and I was just. I just was so happy because I finally found out what was wrong, and so we prepared for the surgery and I got a priesthood blessing from my dad and uncle, who was a former bishop before, and they gave me that priesthood blessing and the day before my surgery and I was ready to face the world because of how much peace and calm I felt from that blessing.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And it was the night before my surgery, my sisters came and they relieved my mom so that she could come home and shower and come back to the day of the surgery the next day, so that she could rest the next day, so that she could rest. And my sisters, um, they asked me, like just a personal conversation, we were having, we're just all joking. And and then, when it came to like a personal conversation, my older sister, she asked me she's like Goldie, I know this is a big surgery, are you scared? And I told her I'm not scared. I exactly said, whatever was to happen, that we will all be okay because of Heavenly Father's plan. And I remember reading to all my sisters the scripture verse before I went to sleep, which is Proverbs 3, 5 to 6, and it's been my model ever since. I've always loved this scripture. But because of what had happened, it became the theme of my testimony, which was to trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and shall direct thy path. And I told my sisters that whatever happens tomorrow, that we will be okay because of Heavenly Father's plan.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And so the next day came and it was surgery time and my family came and it was so awesome to just see them before I went into surgery and I had surgery in February of 2020. And so surgery came Six hours later. Later I came out and I was resting and a lot of my family flew in to to come see me and my surgery post-operation and just be with me and my family and I and it was just so awesome and my older sisters and my nieces and nephews. They went downstairs to get ice cream from the cafeteria and in their room room was just myself, my auntie, my dad and my mom and this is the point of my mom, because I don't remember this next part of the story.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

The nurse had come in to check on my vitals because you could see from the desk that my heart was the rhythm was slowed down, so they wanted to order an echo just to make sure that everything was going well. And as soon as the nurse walks out, my mom said my auntie looks at me and I gave her a big sigh and I flatlined Nurse rushes back in. The nurse rushes back in and calls a code blue and she's pumping, she's doing CPR on me and my mom and dad. They are crying hysterically and my little brother who was outside, he rushes downstairs to the cafeteria Four flights down, rushes downstairs and grabs everyone to come up and telling that something happened to me and my mom and dad. They're crying and the nurses are trying to calm them down and trying to perform CPR on me and they finally got a heartbeat and so they rushed me down to the ICU because of how much damage it has done already to my body.

Alisha Coakley:

Oh my gosh.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

The nurses told my parents that my heart stopped again in the elevator for the second time, and the third time again was when I was already in the ICU. And so that third time that my heart stopped, the doctors told my family to prepare because they didn't know if I was gonna make it or not. So they put me in a medically induced coma and said that it was up to me to fight. And so during this time my mom had told me that she didn't know what to think. She, she, she, she had to pick and have me father's plan. But it's just during that time she felt like the world was crumbling, because this is her kid that she sees lifeless on the hospital bed, and so she's calling our family members, just telling them the news, and they just fasted and prayed that whole time and I was in that coma for a week and a half and during that coma that I didn't know I was in, I had the most spiritual experience ever and it was just so amazing how thin the veil was for me and because of that I was able to see a lot of loved ones that have passed away, and it's just so amazing how Heavenly Father was very mindful of me to have that time with them. And after that week and a half of me being in that coma, I woke up. And I woke up to my siblings were on my bedside waiting for me to wake up, and it was just so awesome that I had the people that mattered most to me when I needed them. And so I woke up.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And that wasn't the end. I still had a long way to recover. I still had a long way to recover. And after that medically induced coma, covid hits, oh Jesus. And when COVID hit, the restrictions in the hospitals were. They were getting stricter, and so we weren't allowed any visitors to come to visit us patients in the hospital. But thankfully, um the hospital let my family be the only one to come visit me, because I was the youngest patient in the hospital wow and I knew that I needed my family there with me to help me recover.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And it was just so awesome because my mom was the only visitor that was able to sleep over with me, and so she visited everyone on the floor because they couldn't have visitors.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

She didn't go into the room, but she would just say hello to them because she said that they need to know that they are loved too. That's so cool, wow, and so I. So I was just so thankful for my mom for being there with me, and, because of um me being bedridden, I couldn't walk, so I my muscles, like they, were so weak so I couldn't walk and I couldn't walk, so my muscles, like they, were so weak so I couldn't walk and I couldn't do the everyday things that we do, like brushing my teeth, brushing my hair. I couldn't do that anymore. I needed to do occupational therapy, and that was every day since I woke up. They came and they helped me. They put me on a walker so I could walk to laps around the hospital floor. They put me on a walker so I could walk to laps around the hospital floor. They had to help me grip onto the toothbrush and teach me how to brush my teeth, to brush my hair and the everyday little things that we take for granted. I had to relearn how to do that. It was so frustrating because I told myself I know how to do this, I just need to learn again. It was so frustrating because, I said I told myself I know how to do this, I just need to learn again. And it was so, so hard.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And there was this one morning that the nurse he had come to wake me up so we could do my laps around in the morning. And when he came to wake me up, I told him I didn't want to walk anymore, that I was fine with a wheelchair, because I was like I'm so tired, I don't need to walk, I'll just get a wheelchair. And he told me his story of how, um, he got into a bad motorcycle accident and that he, the people, the doctor, said that he was going to be paralyzed, but there was a nurse that helped him walk every day. It's exercising with him every day and that's why he became a nurse and that's how he started walking again.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And then that's what motivated me. I was like I don't want to be a sad story, like Heavenly Father obviously gave me a second chance so that I can live out my testimony. So I did that every day, woke up six o'clock in the morning, did lapse then my occupational therapy and I was getting better each day in the hospital. And so the doctors told me that my vitals are getting better, but I would still need to go to rehab after leaving the hospital because I needed to get stronger through my legs, my muscles and all of those occupational things that I needed to remember again muscles and all of those occupational things that I needed to remember again and I told myself I did not want to go to rehab again, I don't want to be closed in for another three months and so.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I tried my best to stay in, to work harder through the therapy sessions at the hospital, and I did. My doctor said that I could go home the next week and that I didn't need to go to rehab anymore because I was getting stronger in the hospital already. So with that I was recovering well and I was able to finally go home. But because of how big of the surgery I had and the complications that rose after that, I was placed on dialysis because of my kidneys.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

My kidneys took a big hit when my heart stopped those three times, and so they put me on dialysis to help my kidneys function again. And, as you all know, once you're put on dialysis you're put on there for life, and so I was trying to adapt to my new normal. So when I came home I would do a dialysis three times a week. I'm at our local dialysis center, just down the street from my home, and it was very draining. And I remember going to the dialysis center and I was just crying because I told my mom that I didn't want to be a burden to our family because they had to change their work schedules to align with my my new health schedule, and they had to because I was on a strict diet. They had to buy certain foods that were more expensive than the food that we usually ate, and I was just crying to her and telling her that I didn't want to be a burden anymore and that it's okay if anything were to happen to me, because they were going to be okay and that they would be stress-free. And my mom said she didn't care about all of these things because as long as that I was okay and no one knew that my mom left her job so that she could take care of me and my dad, because my dad was still recovering and not with me.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Wow, and that was, um, that was so hard on me because I knew that living here in Hawaii was really expensive and my dad, who was the breadwinner of our home, and him being sick like that was an income that we lost. And then my dad, and then now my mom leaving her job to take care of my dad and myself was another income that we lost, for her to just to pay the bills and just make ends meet. So that was a big hit on us. So I wanted to take the load off of my mom and not have her to worry anymore.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

But because of how Christ-like and loving my mom was and how much love she showed me, she motivated me to stop thinking like that and that I was her living testimony that I was still alive today and the Heavenly Father loved us so much that he gave us a second chance to live. And so dialysis was my new norm and so I would do that all the time. And my doctor I did my checkup weekly the time. And my doctor I did my checkup weekly. And my doctor, my heart doctor and my kidney doctor said that my vitals and my kidneys were were doing well and were doing better than they anticipated, and that I could get off of dialysis sooner rather than later wow.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

So I was on dialysis for three weeks post-operation, outside of the hospital and I got off dialysis and I was so happy because I was facing, I was doing everything that the doctor said that I wouldn't do in these three months that I've been home. It was such a great miracle these three months that I've been home. It was such a great miracle. And with that recovering I had to exercise more and be on that strict diet. And my parents they told me okay, you don't need to go to school right now, Don't focus on school or work, Just focus on your health. But the one thing that never left my mind was serving a four-time mission.

Scott Brandley:

And because of the new health issue that I had.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I just kept doubting myself that I wouldn't be able to serve a mission because of my health status and I prayed about it and I just had the same feeling that you're going to serve a mission. You're going to serve a mission, but I just kept brushing it off because I questioned like how am I going to serve a mission if I have this heart condition? And so, as I got better a year later I went to play volleyball with our missionaries in our ward and the sister she came up to me and out of the blue, she just told me about her cousin who had a brain aneurysm that the doctor said that she would be paralyzed from. She recovered well, um, from that aneurysm and she's going on a mission. She's serving a mission. And I told her I was like why did you tell me this story? And she was like I don't know, it was just out of the blue. I wanted to tell you this story and I knew that was that was Heavenly Father's way of telling me. Like you think I care about your health status, I don't. I see your heart and I know you're willing and I want you to serve a mission. And so no one knew that I was submitting my papers, and so so I submitted my papers and the only thing that I needed to do was my physical through my doctors. And I went and my doctors told me that I couldn't go on my mission because of the physical labor aspect of it and that I was going to get a heart surgery soon because another valve is leaking in my heart. And so I was so sad and I knew that this was going to happen. So I put the papers behind me, I worked on my health, exercised, did the diet and did all of that.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And my friend, who we're the same age, she was serving serving, she's planning to serve a mission as well, and so she submitted her papers and she was planning to go to Utah for her mission. And she told me he said, oh, are you gonna serve a mission too? And I said, oh, good, I want to, but you know me and my heart, we you know they're not gonna. I said, oh, you should try again. And so I did try again, and this time I told my mom I tried again, and the same results.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

The doctor said I couldn't go, and so at this point I was so sad I questioned Heavenly Father. I was like, heavenly Father, I'm just trying to repay you for what you've done for me and how you gave me the second chance and how I'm a living testimony of your plan and I want to share with others so that they can come on to you as well. Come on to Jesus Christ. Why, why won't you let me do that? So that was the the question that was in my head during this whole time, and my mom, she reminded me. She's like see, that's satan. Satan is doubting you and getting into your head, making you doubt heavenly father and his plan. And so I told her that, man, I don't know why, I told you that I was going to submit my paper, like you always want to do this and that and so. But that never left me.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And so my friend who was on her mission, it came to general conference time it was April 2021. And she told me she was like oh, she emailed me. She was like I'm inviting you to listen to general conference and I want you to list the questions that you have that you want answered at general conference. Me growing up like my parents were watching a conference, and that was just I. That was just my time to sleep and get rest, but when my friend but when my friend invited me to um to watch general conference, I I really wanted to watch general conference with the intent, and so I did what she asked. I wrote down two questions, which was will I be able to serve a full-time mission and when will I be able to serve a full-time mission?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And, by my surprise, the April 2021 General Conference was about missionary work. Every other talk was either talking about missionary work, missionary service or all of the above, and the talk that stood out to me that I got my answer from was from Elder Marcos, a Atticus. He spoke about how he went through these trials preparing for his mission, but that didn't stop him. He still went on a mission and because of that, of his decision to serve, he had been blessed. And that was the answer to me that I will be able to serve on mission, no matter the health trial that I was in and how.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I got the confirmation that I was going to submit my papers right then. And there was when the Tabernacle Choir sang I'll go where you want me to go, and I knew that was Heavenly Father telling me that, because of my willingness to be on His errand, he would send me to anywhere that I was needed. And so this time I didn't tell my family that I was submitting my papers. I submitted my papers and my doctors papers and my doctors, the surgery that I was supposed to have. He said that I didn't need it anymore because somehow, some way, my heart was functioning fine.

Alisha Coakley:

Oh, my goodness.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I didn't need the surgery sooner, but they would just keep tabs on me, and so he signed off on my physical and that was the last paper that I needed to submit my papers. I submitted them and I prayed that night that I told Heavenly Father that he could send me anywhere and I will serve him faithfully for those 18 months. So I submitted my papers and I told my parents that I submitted my papers, papers and the mission department. They emailed me back right away and told me that I need to send all of my information and, like all of my my medical forms to them so that they could have all of that on file while making the decision of where I was going to get called to serve.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

So I sent that in and um I received my call three months later and they they called me to Hawaii Mission, the visitor center, and even though it was just an hour away from my home, I knew Heavenly Father was mindful of me because I was still able to do a full-time proselyting mission.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

A lot of people thought I was just going to be a service missionary and I'm not saying service missionaries are bad, but I wanted to struggle on my mission, I wanted to be out of the house, I wanted to explore the world, so I wanted to do a proselyting mission.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And so when they called me to serve in the Hawaii mission full-time proselyting mission I was so happy and that's my journey and I was able to serve a mission and completed my mission three months ago. And now I'm here still sharing my testimony to others and helping them remember that Heavenly Father is mindful of them and that he loves each and every one of us. And it kind of reflects to recent general conference talk given by elder jeffrey r holland of him saying that heavenly father answers our prayers and he always answers them, but it's online to our perfection. So I really loved how that is just reflecting on my journey, of how I became who I am today and how strong my testimony has been built upon because of the foundation I was brought up in, and how this travel of faith is not the end of my story but another chapter of my story.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

So, yeah, that is my story, my testimony.

Alisha Coakley:

Oh, my goodness, it's crazy to think that, like you know, like, if this had happened, if you had gone to U of U right, like your dad wouldn't have been there to see you to like, push you to go to the ER, like, who knows?

Alisha Coakley:

like, your story could have ended then and, and you know, even if you did get diagnosed and stuff in time to have all the surgery and stuff, that would have been such a huge feat to either get family to go to you or to be able to get you to go back, especially with it being around the same time of COVID happening, and like just so many little details that I think are amazing to hear in your story, like all of the like, the what ifs and the could have beens and the way that you not only miraculously came back three times, you know, right after your surgery and not well, all of it.

Alisha Coakley:

I mean just like finding out that you had this huge problem being able to get surgery right away, coming back three times, getting off dialysis in a matter of three weeks for something that should have kept you on it and, you know, indefinitely, and then for the miracle of just having your, your heart heal. You know out of nowhere that just wow, like so many wow, oh, my goodness yeah my father is definitely in the details of the details yeah yeah, when you were in your coma, you mentioned that you got to visit with some of your ancestors or people on the other side.

Scott Brandley:

Do you? How much of that do you remember?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

other side, do you? How much of that do you remember? So, out of the people I remember, were the only ones, um, that I could like put a name to their face and it will. All those people were my grandparents on dad's side, my dad and my dad's dad and his mom, and the only the only reason why I remember this was because my parents, they kept saying that in and out of the coma I kept saying their name, and so when I woke up and I was fully recovering, I said oh, how come you kept saying your name? And it's because I told them. I said I saw them like my. I saw my grandpa and my grandma and it wasn't, they weren't old, that's what I was telling them like they weren't old, they weren't wrinkly and I was trying to find pictures of I was trying to find

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

pictures of them. I was trying to find pictures of them and we only had pictures of them like older, because they because when we were born they were older, much older. And there's just one picture that my dad has of when my mom and dad got married and I pointed to it and I was like this is who I saw, this is the man I saw. And my dad was like, wow, he's like. My grandpa was a little bit younger when my parents got married and he was just like, he was just in shock because my grandpa passed away in December and I was born in September, so I couldn't have known him or how he looked like, besides the pictures.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

And I knew that was him because of the pictures that I saw, and so it was just. Yeah, it was just so awesome. I felt like a dream. I felt like a dream, but I knew that because of what I had to I that I went through that the vent. The veil was so thin that I was able to see, um, some loved ones that passed away.

Alisha Coakley:

So it's just, it's just so awesome, wow, and and we've we've had a few other guests who have talked about, um, some of their, you know, near-death experiences and stuff. So so I just I'm curious, cause I know everyone's is is different Um, do you remember any other details you know of things that you, you experienced and not that you have to share that if they're sacred, cause I, you know, I want to be respectful of that space, but like does it, I guess, one space, but like does it, I guess, one. Do you remember them in detail? Two, do you feel like you were given any specific instruction, right Moving forward, whether it's just for you or for you to share, and then, how do you not doubt that? Like, how do you you know what I mean? Like, how do you not talk yourself out of it and be like, oh, I just made this up, or I just you know, maybe it was just a dream or maybe it was. You know, how do you, how do you, like, stand firm in what it is that you experienced?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

So a lot of those questions like roll my head too. I always question, like, did I really see who I saw? I know, without a doubt, that I did see my grandparents, I did see the loved ones that I saw. That passed on through the veil already. And the thing that, um, I remember the most during that time was how peaceful it felt and it was so bright in the area that we were in. It was I can't describe it, but it was so bright in the area that we were in. I can't describe it, but it was so bright. My grandpa, he was walking, he looked like he didn't have any health issues. My grandma, she as well.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I know that a lot of people may not believe what I saw, but I know that it was true. I know that Heavenly Father, he gave me that ability to remember these things because I could have easily have forgotten this when I woke up. He gave me the ability to remember these things so that I can share it, because I'm pretty sure other people have had the same experience as me, but they just want to hide it to themselves, um, but I know that because of heavenly father's plan. That's why I don't doubt what I saw was wasn't real, but I that I do know that it is true because of heavenly father's plan. So time, so yeah do you like?

Alisha Coakley:

personally, do you feel like the veil is even thinner now than before all of your experience, or do you feel like it kind of went back to like what you know, like how you had felt beforehand?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I think now, like after recovering for all of these years, I think now I went to uh beforehand, how I was beforehand, but I think just during that experience, um, the veil was so thin to me because of the near-death experience and how, how much times my heart stopped.

Alisha Coakley:

Wow, oh my goodness. So what? What are your plans moving forward? You know like and and how is your health Like? Is this something you need to keep monitoring indefinitely? Is it like do they feel like everything's fixed and you're good, I guess. Update us on like now and in the future. Where do you think?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

you'll be us on, like now and in the future. Where do you think you'll be? Yeah, so I know that I would be doing more doctor visits, um, for the rest of my life, which I'm fine with because I feel like they're a part of the family now um, so more doctor visits, um every year? Um, I still have to take medication for my heart, um, my blood and etc. So that I can keep my blood count up. Yeah, just moving forward, just trying to keep healthy and be more active, play pickleball more. Yeah, just trying to focus on not only my health journey but my spiritual journey as well, trying to maintain the spiritualness of things and just all of that, just trying to strive to be better each day and remembering the testimony that I've gained.

Alisha Coakley:

Are there things that you can't or shouldn't do anymore, like any more restrictions?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

So I'm kind of a rebel I always want to test the waters, but I always ask my doctors first yeah I mean, like in case of things like, uh for, like roller coasters, I want to go on roller coasters, but, like my family's scared because, like your heart, your heart, I'm like, I know my heart, we got this. So, just like all of those things, yeah, like I think, like because of what I went through, I just just want to live life like to the fullest like, with no restrictions and all of the above, but my family is the only ones that are restricting me from certain activity.

Scott Brandley:

Um, but, I try to do what I can wow, oh man, that is so cool you're speaking our language, goldie me, and me and Alisha like to live life to the fullest yeah definitely more of a you know, big, big forgiveness than ask permission yes, yeah, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission exactly, exactly yeah, so um, do you have any final thoughts that you'd like to share before we wrap things up?

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

yes, um, I think just the biggest takeaway that one can learn from my story and other stories around the world about these experiences is that Heavenly Father is very mindful of you. He's in the details of the details of your lives. He has always been there and he loves you. And just because we have trials that we go through, it's because of those trials that make us become better. And I know that he loves us so much that he gave us his plan so that we can return back to him and to be able to have joy here on earth.

Alisha Coakley:

Amen to that. Oh and Goldie, your story was so good and you did make me cry but I didn't cry all of my makeup off, so that's good.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

I was like oh, I know I'm like waterwork.

Alisha Coakley:

I have really, really just enjoyed your story so much. Um, you like you on it, like you, truly just like glow. You know, like the, the spirit that's coming from you is just glowing and beautiful and it's just like leaves me feeling like so much just peace and happiness and like motivation to, you know, do things that I can, um, that'll draw me closer to the Lord, and so I really appreciate you coming on today and sharing your story with us, thank you.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Thank you for having me, it's been my pleasure, yeah, yeah.

Scott Brandley:

I'm glad we ran into each other in Hawaii.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Yes.

Scott Brandley:

And that we, that we got to have this opportunity to have you on the show, cause I think your story is very inspirational and I agree with Alisha like I feel like you're glowing and that your spirit is contagious yeah, and. I think I think you're gonna be able to touch a lot of people with your story in your lifetime not just now, but even in the future, as you go on to other things. You're're you're going to be able to share that with other people and and bring them closer to God. So yeah.

Scott Brandley:

Thanks for being here.

Alisha Coakley:

Yep Definitely feels like you're proselytizing. Not done yet You're still preaching and teaching, getting out to the world. So, oh man, well, goldie, good luck with everything in your future, you know, with your health, with your schooling, with your dating, if you need a matchmaker, just give me a call. It's my favorite thing to do.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Keep that in mind, there you go.

Alisha Coakley:

Yeah, you've just been, just been such a delight, so thank you so much for coming on here again.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Thank you for having me.

Alisha Coakley:

Yeah, absolutely.

Scott Brandley:

Well, thanks everyone for tuning in to listen to Goldie's story. If you have a story that you'd like to share, go ahead and go to latterdaylightscom. Let's have you on the show and let's share some light out there.

Alisha Coakley:

Yeah, absolutely. And guys like speaking of share, please do that five second missionary work. Hit that share button, comment. Let us know what your favorite part of Goldie story was. Let us know if you have, uh, if you've had, similar experiences or miracles, how that's helped your testimony. We really really love hearing, um, about you know what what these shows mean to you guys. So don't be afraid to comment. Say hello to Goldie, uh, share her story and then and then contact Scott and I and let us know what your story is. Or let us know if there's someone in your life who you feel has a really great story that could you know could be on here as well as a guest. So we love referrals. Or I mean, if you guys really want to donate to the take Alisha overseas to italy or greece or you know, ireland fun, I guess you guys could always do that too, and I'll just go find some other guests that way. I'm good either way either way.

Scott Brandley:

Either way, I mean, it's all for the building of the kingdom right right, yes exactly.

Alisha Coakley:

You know what? I think? I'll stop in Hawaii. First I'll pick up Goldie and then we'll go together.

Goldieloca Tautuiaki:

Yes. You've already had too much trouble in your life.

Scott Brandley:

Yeah, I'm good, I'm good, Awesome. Well, thanks again, goldie, and thanks everyone for tuning in, and we will see you next Sunday with another episode from Latter-day Lights. Till then, take care, see ya.

People on this episode

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Scott Brandley

Host
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Alisha Coakley

Co-host