Josiah Wiedman, a 13-year-old African American boy from Phoenix, Arizona, survived being struck by lightning that launched him 9 feet into the air. He suffered a fractured skull, but miraculously, he recovered in just days.
Josiah was walking home through a park in his neighborhood with a friend when lightning suddenly struck him.
“As we were walking, I got struck… sending me 9 feet into the air, making me bounce on my head and then flip over to my back,” he told ABC News. “All I remember is just a little bit of heat — but barely.”
Most of what Josiah knows about the incident comes from others. Two girls who witnessed it ran home crying to tell his mother, Krista Wiedman. She rushed to the park to find Josiah unresponsive, surrounded by medical personnel. She dropped to her knees and prayed as emergency responders worked.
A bystander, Cory Cieszynsky, performed CPR until paramedics arrived, helping save Josiah’s life. His father, William Wiedman, called Cieszynsky an angel. “The first initial report said that Josiah was not going to survive,” he said, adding that Cieszynsky later checked on Josiah at the hospital.
Josiah spent three days in a drug-induced coma while recovering from a fractured skull and a concussion. His mother called his survival “a miracle,” amazed by how quickly he recovered. “My son should’ve been dead on the spot,” Krista said.
His friend, Javier Tapia, who was also struck, suffered only minor injuries.
The experience gave Josiah a new outlook on life. “I’m going to try to live my life a bit more because I know it can end at any time,” he said.
Krista calls him her “Superman,” and Josiah jokes that he’s still waiting for his powers to kick in. “I haven’t felt my powers yet, but I will soon,” he said.
SOURCE: blacknews.com