An 18-year-old woman saved her boyfriend’s life after he was struck by lightning on July 7 in Colorado, according to an ABC affiliate in Denver.
Juliette Moore and her boyfriend of two years, Isaiah Cormier, also 18, were camping near Ruby Gulch in Boulder County when a storm started brewing. They had pitched their tent near a cluster of trees and were preparing to take shelter inside it when Isaiah was struck by a bolt of lightning outside the tent, according to local affiliate CBS 4.
Isaiah was wearing headphones around his neck at the time, and he told CBS 4 he believes that they attracted the lightning, which first struck a tree next to him. The bolt entered through his neck and exited through his right foot, effectively missing all of his internal organs.
Juliette exited the tent to find Isaiah facedown on the ground, unresponsive and without a pulse, according to ABC affiliate Denver 7. She immediately started administering CPR.
“I only had to do one round, and he came back and started gasping,” Juliette told Denver 7. “And he stopped breathing again, so I gave him a second round of CPR after that he was breathing and doing alright.”
“I was going to die, she brought me back,” Isaiah told Denver 7. “I was going to die again, she brought me back.”
“You cannot go yet,” Juliette said she was thinking in her head at the time of the accident. “I have too many things I wanna do with you. You’re not allowed to leave me this soon.”
Juliette only learned CPR one month ago in order to meet a qualification she needed in order to receive certification to coach, according to CBS 4.
After resuscitating Isaiah, she then called 911 — with less than 2% battery remaining on her phone — and solicited the help of a nearby camper to get Isaiah into their car, which she drove to the highway to meet medical responders when they arrived to help, according to CBS 4. Isaiah was eventually transported to the UCHealth Burn Center, according to People.
Isaiah’s doctor at the UCHealth Burn Center, Anne Wagner, told CBS 4 that he wouldn’t have survived if Juliette didn’t know CPR. She said that in her history as the medical director at the burn center, only two of her patients have survived lightning strikes; she did not specify how many lightning strike victims she has treated.
“It’s a super high voltage injury that transfers through the body,” she told CBS 4. “It does a lot of its damage under the skin.” People reported that Isaiah was released from the hospital after a day and a half.
Juliette shared an Instagram post on July 10, thanking the medical professionals and other camper who helped her get Isaiah to safety and on the road to a “miraculous and complete recovery.” She also stressed the importance of CPR training, a lesson she says both she and Isaiah want people to take away from their scary experience.
“What we want you to take away from our story is that CPR training can and does save lives. Please make the time to take the class with your friends and family. I got certified a month ago. I hope you never have to use it, but I want you to have the skills if you ever need it.”
Juliette also added a link to CPR class offerings from the Red Cross in her Instagram bio. The couple are planning to attend college together at Montana State University this fall, according to CBS 4.
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