SIESTA KEY, Fla. — Jacob Brewer was on vacation with his family in Siesta Key Beach when he was struck by lightning in 2020. Jacob was 14 at the time.
During a beach day, a storm in the distance was starting to creep closer. They had just gathered up their things and were walking across the sand. His mom Barbara said she remembers hearing ringing in her ears and everyone falling to the ground.
That was the moment Jacob was hit by lightning.
Barbara said multiple people performed CPR on Jacob. When the teen was rushed away in the back of an ambulance, he did not have a pulse.
After working on him tirelessly, the medical staff was able to feel a pulse. Barbara said that was their first miracle.
After the incident, Jacob was not able to walk. He was paralyzed from the waist down.
The teen’s parents visited more than 20 different doctors and specialists throughout his recovery journey. As they looked for more answers to help Jacob recover, he continued to dedicate time to physical therapy.
“This whole time we have been saying, 'Jeez, he’s working so hard and he’s pushing so hard and fighting so hard and if those muscles die and disappear before that nerve signal reaches down there again, it’s not going to matter,'” Jeremiah Brewer said.
The second miracle for the Brewer family would not come until two years after the lightning strike.
They ended up traveling thousands of miles to Vienna, Austria to check out a device that could potentially help stimulate denervated muscles. His parents said that specific device has now helped Jacob immensely. His mom said he is moving muscles that have not moved in two years.
“After a month his toenails are growing again, his legs look much healthier, and he’s got hair growing on his feet again,” his mom said.
Jacob said he continues to find hope and doesn't plan to give up trying to live a normal life again.