Australian Jessica Wuetschner’s life changed as a result of one thunderstorm.
Illustration image. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
For someone who worked as a stevedore in a Queensland port To Jessica Wuetschner an extraordinary coincidence happened on a working day in 2020 with severe weather conditions.
During the demolition work, Wuetschner was holding on to a metal pipe that was struck by lightning.
– I saw big bluish-white lightnings going along my hands. Then I fell from it to the ground, the woman says in her TikTok video.
The experience was so terrifying that he feared for his life. He avoided physical injuries thanks to his rain gear, but there was another kind of ordeal that still hasn’t let up its torment.
Depression
Even after the incident, the visit to the hospital ended inconsolably when, due to the merciless weather, no one was there to meet him in the morning.
– I walked out of the hospital without shoes, soaking wet, with no information about the way home, without my family, none of my friends answered the phone, says Wuetschner.
The constant panic attacks resulted in her returning to the hospital two weeks later. An anti-depressant prescription was given.
Wuetschner plays semi-professional Australian football in the AFLW, but the games were put on hiatus due to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Fear rules life
A lightning strike can have minimal consequences, but it can also kill you. In Wuetschner’s case, the worst thing is the long duration and uncertainty of the symptoms.
Today, the 30-year-old Australian woman has been able to continue her career, but her fears have not subsided.
– I’m still afraid to leave my house some days. I used to travel the world, but I can’t even think about that now. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere where I’m not in my safe zone, in my own safe place, says Wuetschner.
Although going to a psychologist has helped with the problems, some of them are still a problem.
– I’m afraid of fools. I’m afraid of any kind of medication that I’m not familiar with. In practice, I only use paracetamol and nothing else.
Wuetschner says that what-if thoughts are constantly running through his head, preventing him from doing the things he wants to do.
– That’s what I’ve been fighting with. That’s why my life has been ruined and I feel like a different person.
Source: Guardian