alt Hacker NewsSurviving something like that (a much less serious adenoma near the brain) is neat because I can mentally use the memory to alter my current state of mind.
I can't recreate the exact feeling, obviously. Just remembering waking up in the world of the living is still powerful enough to improve my mood and put problems into perspective, even after more than a decade. The old me has a new mental tool, forever.
At the same time, I'm not walking around like an enlightened monk either. Whether something counts as life-changing must depend on perspective and personality.
Most enlightened monks aren't walking around like enlightened monks, either! Enlightenment/awakening isn't really described as a "life changing" experience, though a sudden experience of the earliest hints of 'stream entry' can sometimes feel like one. Quite on the contrary, it seems to be connoted as a kind of very practical wisdom.