Excerpt from
THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS

A lightning strike is not contagious. Don’t hesitate to administer CPR. Don’t think twice that you will be electrified by touching a victim. The human body does not hold an electrical charge: This fact is disputed by one victim, Sarah X., who reported, “I got struck when I was fifteen years old and ever since then, every time I touch someone, they get zapped.” Sarah wouldn’t meet with me to prove her claim, but I thought her story worth mentioning. One thing is certain: Electricity, lightning included, affects people differently. Sarah X said, “I’m cursed. I don’t feel like I can touch my own grandbabies without suffering them some little bit of harm.” (Sarah X.’s claims have not been substantiated by doctors, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t true.)