THE VILLAGES, Fla. — Summer is peak lightning season, and one Citrus County boy is still recovering from a lightning strike that hit him two years ago. It happened on a day where it wasn’t stormy and the nearest lightning was more than 200 miles away.
On Sept. 4, 2017, 12-year-old Brayden Moeller of Inverness, and his dad came to watch a soccer game in The Villages.
They were kicking the ball around afterward when the unthinkable happened.
"It was a similar day to this, there were blue skies," said Bill Moeller. "I was retrieving the ball out of the net when I heard the loudest sound I’ve ever heard in my life."
That sound was lightning hitting 12-year-old Brayden.
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His soccer shoes ripped open where the current exited his body.
"There's not much that I remember about that day," said Brayden.
Soccer coach Anderson DaSilva was nearby and saw Brayden hit the ground.
"His eyes were back in his head and I knew it was bad and that’s when Anderson came flying in," said Moeller.
DaSilva immediately started CPR.
Doctors say Brayden was dead for 15 minutes but the CPR helped saved his life.
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Brayden spent weeks in the hospital and had to learn to walk again.
Though he still suffers from nerve damage, his recovery has been miraculous.
"Day by day he was beating the odds," said Cindy Moeller, Brayden's mother.
Now Brayden and his family want to share his story to raise awareness about lightning safety and the importance of being CPR certified.
"We’re blessed. He’s in our lives for a reason we know that," said Bill Moeller.
For information about lightning safety or to help advocate for CPR training in schools visit the Prayers for Brayden Facebook Page.
