A former US army soldier has described the harrowing experience of being struck by lightning twice, including once on the anniversary of the first strike. The woman, who was 24 at the time of the first incident in 1992, was serving as an ammunition inspector at Fort Benning, Georgia.
During a severe storm, a bolt of lightning hit her, throwing her 30 feet and stopping her heart. She recalled feeling as if she had left her body and faced a choice between turning away or facing the pain. The strike caused extensive damage, including burned nerves and a fused jaw, and she required resuscitation by an ambulance crew.
Exactly one year later, while standing on the metal threshold of her home during another storm, she was struck again. The lightning threw her back into the house, where her partner and his daughter were present. The second strike exacerbated her existing pain and fear, leading to years of difficulty leaving the house.
Despite the trauma, she underwent multiple surgeries, including jaw reconstruction and amputation of all ten toes due to tissue death. She learned to walk again after each operation and now advises soldiers with traumatic brain injuries, speaking at PTSD and pain-management clinics. She lives with daily pain but has learned to manage it, saying, 'I can’t be afraid of living.'
