A woman has recalled the horrific moment she was struck by lightning.
On September 9 last year, Thalita Teixeira Padilla experienced one of the rarest things a human can ever go through - she was struck by lightning.
The 32-year-old was out walking her dog in the streets of Boston when the incident occurred and she was immediately rushed to hospital.
After multiple surgeries and rehabilitation programs, she has finally been discharged from the medical facility and is now thinking about her future.
Speaking to PEOPLE in her own words, she recalled what she was doing the day she was hit, and the gruelling challenges she faced in the aftermath.
"On the morning of September 9, having just worked a three-day shift, I Googled the closest beach and found one called Savin Hill Beach," the nurse said, noting that she was new to the Boston area. "I have a very active Australian Shepard, and he loves the beach. But my husband – who is also a nurse – works the night shift and was sleeping, so he didn’t join."
While initially, Padilla stated that the sun was shining and the beach was pretty busy with people enjoying the end of summer, dark clouds and drizzle brought the fun to a grinding halt.
On the way back to the car, a woman stopped her to compliment her little pooch but that was the last thing the medical professional remembers before she completely blacked out and woke up in the hospital.
Later she found out that she had been struck by lightning in the chest and as a result, suffered a cardiac arrest.
"The lightning burned my chest and my spinal cord from the inside, leaving me with a spinal cord injury, something I didn’t find out about until three months after the incident," she told the outlet. "The bolt then came out of my right leg, my knee and foot. And I suffered a lot of nerve damage."
Padilla stated that at the time her dog had run away due to the loud sound of the storm noting that it was so loud that it burst her eardrum.
"I’m so happy that he’s alive, and although I am wheelchair-bound with two ankles that are unable to move, I believe it’s a miracle how far I have come," she said.
However, the journey to recovery was tough.
"I went straight to Boston Medical Center and was in the trauma ICU for a month," the 32-year-old recalled. "I was intubated and unable to talk for three weeks, so it was extremely grim. There were several times my family and friends didn’t think I was going to make it through the night.
"My injuries affected my ability to do simple things like lifting my arms. I couldn’t even tie my own hair. I was very stubborn, so I didn't want any help as I relearned how to bathe myself, brush my teeth – even how to text again," she continued before adding: "I also had a tracheostomy so it took a month or two to eat again, and then another month to talk. In the beginning, I didn't even have a voice."
Thankfully though the nurse managed to avoid having any brain damage even despite the fact that she was without oxygen for 15 minutes after she was struck on the beach.
After those procedures, it was then time for physical therapy.
"I feel very blessed because I realize it could have been so much worse. I could have been paralyzed from the waist down, lost my sight, or become deaf. But I still struggle with losing my ability to walk," she stated.
With all the physical pain came a lot of emotional burdens, as one can imagine.
Padilla ended up suffering from depression due to the intensity of her spinal cord injury but fortunately, that pain went away with a bit of time.
"You really never know what life is going to bring," she added. "What happened to me was a freak accident and it could have happened to anyone. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. None of that is God's fault.
"That's just life, and I’m finally getting a chance to rewrite my story," she concluded.
What an amazing story of strength and resilience!
