Fla. Woman Says She 'Died' After Being Struck by Lightning While Walking Dog: 'A Lot to Process'
Rebecca Soto was in critical condition for several days after being struck by lightning in August
A Florida woman is speaking out about her recovery one month after getting struck by lightning.
Rebecca Soto had life-threatening injuries after she struck by lightning on night of Aug. 15, when she stepped outside her Lake Nona apartment to walk her dog, CBS affiliate WKMG-TV and NBC affiliate WESH-TV reported.
The 28-year-old had just spent the evening trying on outfits and painting her nails in anticipation of attending Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” concert, according to WESH-TV.
After hearing the loudest "boom" he had ever heard, Lauro Soto discovered his wife face down on the grass, he told the outlet in August, noting that his “first thought was that she was dead."
In fact, he told WKMG at the time that "somewhere in between them picking her up and the ambulance ride, her heart had stopped."
"Just that thought of like, ‘I died,’ that’s pretty heavy," Rebecca said while speaking with WKMG-TV this week. "That’s a lot to process."
Related: Florida Rowing Team Struck by Lightning During Practice, 1 Child Remains Missing
Rebecca was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she was in critical condition for several days, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched to help the couple with their medical expenses.
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“There were burns head to toe from the lightning strike,” read a message on the fundraising page. “She was on life support and even underwent therapeutic hypothermia to help preserve her brain function as she was without oxygen for so long. No one wanted to say it, but the prognosis was grim.”
Related: 'Sweet' 6-Year-Old Boy Dies a Month After Being Struck by Lightning While Holding Dad’s Hand
Eventually, Rebecca opened her eyes and began to respond to her surroundings.
Now, she's out of the hospital and ready to move on from the experience. “I just keep coming back to the word ‘grateful,'" she told WKMG-TV. "Grateful and very fortunate, to be where I am today and to have healed as much as I have in the last three or four weeks.”
Related: How to Avoid Getting Struck by Lightning — and What to Do If Someone Gets Hit by a Bolt
Lauro is thankful for the good outcome, too — even if Rebecca was momentarily upset about missing the concert.
“When we told her she missed the Beyoncé concert, she was devastated,” he previously told WKMG-TV.
Showing off the silver and black outfit she would have worn to the show, Rebecca told the station that she hopes to make it one day to the concert after all — and is more mindful of the little things in life now.
Lauro added that he "can’t take things like that for granted anymore."
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