Three years ago in Siesta Key, Florida – during what was to be a short family vacation – my son, Jacob Brewer, was struck directly by a lightning bolt. They say your chance of being struck by lightning is one in a million, and even more rare to be struck directly – something most do not survive. Jacob is one in a million and he is also a fighter! His injuries were many and extreme – he fought for his life for weeks and months in the hospital! The doctor told me I was going to lose my son but Jacob miraculously survived, for which we thank God every day.
However, Jacob’s spine and nerves were damaged, leaving his legs paralyzed. Jacob fought hard to live and now he fights every day to walk again. He has traveled the world looking for doctors and experts to help him. Jacob is fighting to walk again because this is his dream – he gets up every day with a smile on his face and ready to take on his recovery. He is truly an inspiration to so many.
Updates (6)
October 12, 2023
Three years ago, we were in one of the country's best spinal cord injury recovery hospitals. We couldn't believe what we were hearing. Your son will never walk again! Even if the nerves healed, the muscles would be so atrophied that they couldn't recover. So, my husband spent two years contacting people worldwide until he found the Rise in Austria. We traveled across the world, and it worked. Our recent neurologist appointment confirmed it. The doctor said, "You guys did it!" We had found a way to save Jacob's leg muscles, and now we are trying to get the peripheral nerves in his legs to get a signal to the muscles. We are working with a nerve doctor, and after one month of using a laser device, we are confident it can help Jacob's nerves heal. We have seen remarkable progress. Unfortunately, rent costs $ 3,500 monthly or $18,500 to purchase. We are having a yard sale to raise money. Thank you to everyone for all the love and support during this!!!
July 13, 2023
Echos from the Past
On July 14th 2020, my sweet little family boarded a plane to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. One last vacation before school starts, and Jacob starts marching band practice. We were so excited and couldn't wait to get to the beach. We rented a car and drove across Florida to Siesta Key. We grabbed some groceries and headed to our little rental on the beach. The first day was beautiful and relaxing - just what we needed after dealing with lockdowns all spring. Then the following morning, Jacob was extremely tired and said he couldn't fall asleep because he had nightmares that someone was chasing him all night! We told him to sleep a little longer. If I had known what would happen next, I would have told him to stay in bed all day.
Jacob and I joined Jeremiah and Ashley on the beach. It was a beautiful summer day, not a cloud in the sky. We had sandwiches on the beach and soaked up the sun. Then the sky over the water started to darken a little. It was still far away. No lightning. No thunder. People were still on the beach. I told my husband we should go soon and take the kids to get ice cream. A few minutes later, that dark cloud was moving faster. We picked up our stuff and started walking off the beach. Suddenly there was a flash, and I found myself on my hands and knees, ringing in my ears. I looked over, and Jacob was standing, eyes rolled back, foam coming out of his mouth, and his face turning blue. Then he dropped to the ground and I started screaming "JACOB!" My husband looked back, ran over to Jacob, and started shaking him. He was in cardiac arrest and needed CPR NOW! I looked around and said, please help; he needs CPR. Two men ran over and started doing CPR.
After 5 minutes of continuous CPR, the storm broke on top of us. The lightning flashed around us, The rain pouring down, the wind blowing sand in our faces, and trying desperately to revive Jacob. We had to get off the beach. My husband and these men picked up Jacob's lifeless body and carried it for 50 yards to the beach access. Mark Eve, a sheriff's deputy, came running up and said drop him! He started doing CPR again, trying desperately to save our son. Finally, they got a beach cart to us in the storm, risking all their lives to save our son's life. They brought him to the ambulance. Forty-five minutes later, they resuscitated Jacob and transferred him to Tampa Bay General Hospital. After fighting for his life for weeks due to the extreme extent of his injuries, we learned that the lightning also damaged his spine and nerves, leaving his legs paralyzed.
Tomorrow morning I will be traveling 1000 miles to the very beach Jacob was struck on to pass out flyers to share Jacob's story and raise awareness. One of our followers, Paula Hillard, has been sending Jacob cards and has become family and is graciously allowing me to stay with her. Jacob has fought hard, and his fight to walk again is far from over. We could use help as Jacob's newest physical therapy isn't covered by insurance and costs $600-$900 a week; we still need to remodel the bathroom; the price quoted was $12,000-$15,000, and we are hoping to be able to do a new medical breakthrough treatment in Mexico that costs $55,000 for their 28-day protocol, and usually needs to be repeated 2-3 times.
We are extremely thankful to everyone for all the love, support, and prayers. It is truly a miracle Jacob survived, and we thank God every day that he is with us. We couldn't have gotten him this far and saved his legs if it wasn't for you guys. If you bought a shirt, please send me pictures of you wearing them. Let's make Jacob's story go viral. Times are tough for many, if you cannot support financially we completely understand. Prayers for Jacob are greatly appreciated! Sharing his story is much appreciated too! Thank you!
Photo Galleries (2)
Guestbook
May 23, 2023
Keep fighting and spreading awareness Brewer family.
Lida Robinson
February 2, 2023
Praying that all your efforts will be successful and this venture will help Jacob improve daily.
Diana Hayward
