The woman who was hit by two rays and survived counting | Science and Health

But there are many people in the world who literally match this statistic. They are people who go through such rare experiences that they will find it difficult to find others with similar stories.

This is the case of American Beth Peterson, 49 years old. Peterson shared with the BBC the story of how he barely survived after being struck by lightning – and he relived the same drama just a year later.

"My life has changed forever"

"The rain soaked my boots and my heart beat in the chest when a thunderbolt broke a tree 50 meters from me.

Before I could seek shelter, a strong ray of light pierced me and projected me to more than 9 meters away, on a concrete floor.

I was 24 years old, j & # 39; 39, was an army soldier in Fort Benning, Georgia, that night, I inspected ammunition in a warehouse with a colleague.He tried to revive me, but it is the paramedics who m & rsquo; Rose after the lightning – which went through my feet, through my body and through my mouth and my head – made my heart pound for a short time [19659009WhenIarrivedatthehospitaldoctorsonmyshoulderIdidnotknowwhatwasgoingonIwasnotsurewhenIaskedforacopyofmyexplanations

I could not speak because my chewing It was broken, I could not understand what they said because of a serious brain injury. I could not walk because the blood vessels at my feet were completely destroyed.

I was happy to be alive, but my life had changed forever.

I did 12 surgeries to rebuild my jaw and my toes were amputated.

Slowly, I learned to read, write, speak and walk – first I used crutches and then, when I got stronger, I started to use the muscles of my abdomen to maintain my balance.

I felt helpless, but with every sign of recovery – like talking the alphabet and performing basic math operations – hope was reborn.

In addition to dealing with physical rehabilitation, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had to deal with a psychologist.

Exactly one year after the day I was struck by lightning, I was at home, because I still could not work, watching a storm coming. My psychologist had encouraged me to face my fears and not to hide at home during the storms – so I took courage and went to the porch.

Suddenly, I felt the whole thing. The same light, the same agonizing heat. I was thrown into the house, where my boyfriend, David, ran to my side. Before losing consciousness, I was convinced that I was going to die.

Each year, more than 4,000 deaths worldwide are caused by lightning and apparently the odds of being struck by lightning in the United States are one in 700,000 (in the UK it is 1 in 10 million). in Brazil, 1 in 1.5 million)

But I do not know what are the chances that a person will be hit by two rays on the same date, one year apart. There should not be such a statistic.

The second ray did not hurt me physically as much as the first. As he was still recovering, the doctors were unable to accurately badess the extent of the damage caused by this second stroke.

My days have become a steady stream of visits to hospitals and rehab clinics. She lived in fear, obsessed with clouds, rains and lightning, constantly examining the sky.

Four months after the second lightning he had found enough strength to walk with a cane again. David, my boyfriend and I decided to get married. The following year, we had a son, Casey.

At each operation, at each re-education session, they were the source of joy that helped me overcome everything.

It's been 25 years and I still have pain. It may sound strange, but anyone who has already had an amputation will understand: the pain does not really go away, but you learn to live with it.

Instead of focusing on bad things, I lecture to other patients with post-traumatic stress and chronic pain.

In 2013, I wrote a book on how to use pain to be stronger. Lightning may have changed my life irreparably, but it has also given me a new purpose: to help others. "