A Florida husband and wife are recovering after being struck by lightning while walking on a hiking trail. Aaron Walenga, 48, and his wife Clare Walenga, 43, were found unresponsive by three good Samaritans who came upon the couple on September 2. The passersby were instructed by 911 dispatchers to perform CPR on the victims, who were not breathing.
Aaron Walenga told police he remembered holding his wife's hand moments before the strike. Elizabeth Clare Walenga was initially unresponsive, but authorities later reported she was expected to recover after a breathing tube was removed. The couple is now on their road to recovery.
The Walengas, who are both employed at the Foundation Academy, were walking while their three children attended a church youth group. Aaron Walenga is a teacher of speech and debate, leadership, and personal finance, while his wife works in the admissions office. Their children all attend the Foundation Academy.
Dr. Jeff Lawrence, president of the Foundation Academy, described the survival as a miracle and attributed their recovery to divine intervention. He also praised the bystanders who stopped to assist. "If they hadn't have stopped earlier, just stopped and waited for a moment and kept going, I don't know when we would have found them because there was nobody else out on the trail," Lawrence said, referring to the three individuals who called 911 and administered aid.
A GoFundMe page set up by a school parent, Krista McCracken, has raised nearly $54,000 to support the couple. In a statement posted on the fundraising page, the Walenga family expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support received from friends, their church community, the school community, and others, stating that the prayers, messages, and acts of kindness have been a tremendous source of strength.