{"id":22868,"date":"2026-09-30T12:09:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=22868"},"modified":"2026-09-30T12:09:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:04","slug":"couple-struck-by-lightning-while-holding-hands-credit-good-samaritans-for-saving-their-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/09\/couple-struck-by-lightning-while-holding-hands-credit-good-samaritans-for-saving-their-lives.html","title":{"rendered":"Couple Struck By Lightning While Holding Hands Credit Good Samaritans For Saving Their Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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GoFundMe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Florida couple is thanking God and four strangers who rushed to save them after a lightning strike left a wife in cardiac arrest and her husband helpless just feet away.<\/p>\n

Aaron and Clare Walenga had dropped their three children off at church youth group on Sept. 2 and were enjoying one of their regular date nights. After dinner, the couple went for a walk along the West Orange Trail in Winter Garden, Florida.<\/p>\n

They were walking hand in hand when a storm rolled in and lightning suddenly struck them.<\/p>\n

Aaron, 48, woke up on the ground in severe pain, unable to understand what had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first thought was that we got hit by a car,\u201d he told Fox News Digital. \u201cI thought maybe a car just ran us over from behind because getting struck by lightning is nothing that would even enter our minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he saw people gathered around his wife.<\/p>\n

Clare, 43, had stopped breathing and turned blue. Aaron desperately tried to reach her but temporarily couldn\u2019t control his body.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to get to Clare, and I just couldn\u2019t get up,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI couldn\u2019t really move, and I was in the worst pain of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

But four strangers nearby were already running toward the couple.<\/p>\n

They called 911, and Michael Weyand began performing CPR on Clare despite having never done it before.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never done CPR before in my life,\u201d Weyand said. \u201cBut in that moment, I knew I had to start.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the group worked to save her, Clare suddenly took a \u201cmassive breath.\u201d Witnesses later told her she had stopped breathing for several minutes.<\/p>\n

Aaron and Clare were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. Aaron suffered facial fractures, damaged teeth, cuts and burns. Both had brain bleeds, while Clare also suffered heart damage and memory loss.<\/p>\n

Then came the news they now describe as miraculous.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just seeing miracle after miracle and just too many divine things in this unfortunate circumstance to not be noted,\u201d Clare said.<\/p>\n

Two days later, follow-up testing showed the brain bleeds were gone and Clare\u2019s heart damage had healed. Her memory also returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod\u2019s not done with me yet,\u201d Clare said.<\/p>\n

For the Walengas, however, the story isn\u2019t only about surviving a lightning strike. It\u2019s also about the people who showed up when they needed them most.<\/p>\n

The couple has since formed a close relationship with the strangers who rushed to their aid. Their pastor helped get their children safely home that night, while neighbors stepped in to care for their yard and pool as they recovered.<\/p>\n

Aaron said the outpouring of support has given him a new picture of the church in action.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very humbling to know that people out there really care for you, and to see the church the way it\u2019s supposed to be, where it\u2019s not just in a building,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really the people that are around you, and it\u2019s been amazing to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

And through it all, the couple says their faith kept them from losing hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never asked \u2018Why me?\u2019\u201d Aaron said. \u201cWe never got upset, we never felt hopeless. We really felt like even though it was a hard situation \u2026 God\u2019s been with us and there\u2019s a purpose behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Clare, surviving has left her with a simple but profound sense of gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gift of life that we have is just so beautiful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Florida couple is thanking God and four strangers who rushed to save them after a lightning strike left a wife in cardiac arrest and her husband helpless just feet away. Aaron and Clare Walenga had dropped their three children off at church youth group on Sept. 2 and were enjoying one of their regular…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":22871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\nCouple Struck By Lightning While Holding Hands Credit Good Samaritans For Saving Their Lives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Four strangers rushed into action after a lightning strike left a Florida woman unconscious and her husband unable to reach her.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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