Girl's Heart Stopped 3 Times After Nearby Lightning Strike But Dad Was There To Save Her
October 24, 2024
A nearby lightning strike almost turned deadly for 12-year-old Ella Jorgensen. But thankfully, her dad Steven immediately jumped into action and doctors credit him with saving her life!
12-year-old Ella Jorgenson was outside playing in the rain while visiting her grandparents in Arizona when the unthinkable happened. An intense storm came tearing through and a nearby lightning strike knocked Ella to the ground.
RELATED: Stepdad Pulls Daughter Out Of RV Just Moments Before A Tornado Picks It Up And Flips It
"It was a super bright, bright, loud flash that cracked," Ella's father, Steven Jorgensen recalled.
Doctors don't think the lightning strike hit Ella directly but rather nearby the 12-year-old. However, the current passed along to her and stopped the girl's heart.
"She just fell straight down," Steven said.
Thankfully, though, the time Steven had spent serving his country as a Marine prepared him for this exact moment!
Dad Saves Daughter Hurt By Nearby Lightning Strike
The Marine veteran jumped into action. Finding no heartbeat in his daughter, he immediately began performing CPR. Soon, his daughter's heart began beating again but only for a moment. Then, she flatlined again.
RELATED: Mom Saves Napping 22-Year-Old Daughter With CPR After Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Steven Jorgensen kept giving his 12-year-old daughter CPR until her heartbeat returned for a second time. But then, Ella's heart stopped again. But the determined dad refused to give up. He kept doing CPR just as he'd learned during his service.
"I fought in Iraq in '07 and Afghan in 2008 so I've had plenty of experience," he said.
For a third time, the CPR resurrected the little girl. And this time it held as emergency responders rushed her to the hospital. There, doctors credit Ella's dad, Steven Jorgensen, with saving his daughter's life after the nearby lightning strike.
Of course, the humble hero, Dad, insists he was simply doing what he had to in order to protect his daughter.
“I’m just a dad taking care of his daughter,” Steven said.
And his brave child came out of the incident unscathed, which her doctor calls "amazing."
“The main injury she had, the burning was onto her chest. It bubbled up a little bit," Steven explained, also noting a few minor burns elsewhere on Ella's body.
RELATED: Her Heart Stopped For 12 Minutes, But Then God Sent A Miracle
Just a few differences and this story would have had a very different ending. Had the nearby lightning strike hit Ella directly, or had her father not been on hand to give CPR and get her heart beating again, the Jorgensen family would likely be planning a funeral.
But God and His angels made sure all the pieces lined up just right so this sweet 12 would live to see another day!
WATCH: Girl's Heart Stops 13 After Nearby Lightning Strike
Though getting struck by lightning is an extremely rare occurrence, another young man, Josiah Wiedman, survived a similar incident in 2018. Lightning hit Josiah, who was 13 at the time, only a few miles from the scene of Ella Jorgensen's freak accident.
For Josiah, the damage from the nearby lightning strike was far more substantial. He spent three days in a coma and had to learn to walk again.
Now 17, Josiah heard of the young girl who, like him, miraculously survived a lightning strike. And he is reminding Ella and all of us what a blessing each moment truly is.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Pregnant Wife Performs CPR On Husband Who Ends Up In Coma Day Before Delivery
"I learned that life is precious, and we shouldn’t take it for granted," he said. "It can be taken away from us at any time."
WATCH: Fellow Lightning Survivor Shares A Special Message
LISTEN: A Woman Went to Heaven After Her Heart Stopped and Then Came Back to Share Her Story
h/t: NBC 12
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/FOX 10 Phoenix & Unsplash/Mélody P
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Past Stories
- A Cab Driver Almost Didn't Wait. Then Someone Climbed Into His Backseat Who Changed His Life Forever.
- Top Tips For A Successful Marriage From A Couple Married 87 Years. #14 Is My Favorite!
- How This Girl Was Protected From An Attacker in a Dark Alley Gave Me Chills. WOW!
- Sneaky Photobombing Dogs Have Perfect Timing
- This Christian Couple's Dedication to the Lord is Incredibly Inspiring
- These 10 Unusual Animal Friendships Are Amazing. #5 Just Melted My Heart To Pieces!
- 2 Gorilla Brothers Amazed Everyone With Their Emotions When They Were Reunited
- Orphaned Chimpanzee Gets Adopted By A Family Of Dogs
- A Tribute To A Firefighter Who Died While Saving Others
- Kids Say the Darndest Things. Especially About Marriage!
- Security Guard Loves His Job At Disney World And Spreads Joy
- These Church-Going Kids Are About To Make You Chuckle. So Cute!
- A Toddler Who Is Fighting Cancer Asked for Pizza And Got a Miracle
- Thoughtful Young Man Becomes A Human Chair For An Elderly Lady
- A Pregnant Dog with Half a Face Saved 2 Little Girls from Death. Incredible!
- 2 Friends Went to The Shore to Relax But Ended Up Saving A Lamb's Life
- God Helps a Brave Mother Keep Her Little Children Quiet for 5 Hours To Survive Terrorist Attack
- Nothing Else Could Save This Baby's Life, That's When Her Big Brother Performed a Miracle.
- Churchgoers Ignored the Pleas of A Homeless Man
- 19 Fool-Proof Ways to Turn Any Frown Upside Down
- When His Teacher Learned His Secret, It Brought Her To Tears. And Made Her A Better Person.
- She Feared For Her Life When God Told Her To Pedal. But Then, Her Trust Paid Off. WOW!
- Family Is Being Persecuted For Their Faith
- 10 Grooms' Faces When They First See Their Brides
- This Baby Was Abandoned by His Mother and Called an Ugly Duckling. Then Something Beautiful Happened
- When I Heard What This Woman Did In A Walmart Parking Lot, I Was Stunned.
- 30 Incredible Photos of Children Playing Will Show You What Sheer JOY Looks Like!
- These 6 Couples Didn't Let Storms of Life Ruin Their Wedding Days
- The Willis Family - A Tragic & Inspiring Story
- Veteran Waited On New Wheelchair For 2 Years But Then Lowe's Employees Stepped In
- This Elephant Was Chained And Beaten For 50 Years. But Now He's Free And I'm Not The Only One Crying!
- This Waiter Got The Surprise of A Lifetime from a Complete Stranger. And It Wasn't HIS Birthday!
- You Won't Believe What This 8-Year-Old Did For His Brother. To Him, He's Not Disabled, He's PERFECT!
- This Man Wrote A Letter To The Teacher Who Changed His Life. Just Wait 'Til You Read It!
- A Grieving Dad Begged for Help To Take Away The Pain. How Total Strangers Responded Had Me In Tears!
- These 3 Trees Had Big Dreams, But They Came Crashing Down! This Tale Will Change Your Life!
- Those Who Wrongfully Judged this Fisherman Because of His Appearance Missed Out on a HUGE Blessing!
- 14 Precious Rat Photos That Prove God Doesn't Make Mistakes
- Sweet Giraffe Kisses Dying Zoo Worker Goodbye
- A Father Hadn't Spoken to His Daughter in a Year. But What He Did for Her is a Lesson in Forgiveness
- These Deer Were Trapped In The Icy Waters With No Hope In Sight. Until God Sent Help Just In Time!
- He Was Bullied To His Breaking Point... But God Sent a Friend to Save His Life.
- When She Lost Her Battle With Cancer, They Lost Their Biggest Fan.
- Grieving Parents are Comforted by Wedding Dresses Turned into Angel Gowns for Babies
- This New Marine Gave Her Grandpa A Huge Surprise. And Her First Salute!
- A Soldier in Battle Faced Death. But How God 'Covered' Him and the Entire Army is Truly a MIRACLE!
- Most of Them Were Left Out of Their High School Proms, But Wait Until You See What God Had in Mind!
- What A Room Full Of Balloons Can Teach You About Joy
- He Fought Off A Rapist And Saved A Woman's Life. But He Says He's No Hero!
- Woman Writes Letter to Daughter-In-Law in the Future
Top Music Videos
CCM Magazine Steven Curtis Chapman Shares the Heartfelt Message that Helped While Grieving His Daughter
Crowder Crowder Moving Official 'Somebody Prayed' Music Video
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Mandisa Mandisa - Shackles (Praise You)
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson 'The Cross' Powerful Lyric Video
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.