<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rep. <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/new-york/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nicole Malliotakis</a> (R-NY) issued a message this week regarding the survival of one of her staffers after he was struck by <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/health/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lightning</a> in <a href="https://washingtonexaminer.com/tag/new-york" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York</a>.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thomas Fahmy was struck by lightning last week while walking to his dentist appointment in Staten Island. He initially collapsed, experiencing “tingling, numbness, pain, severe pain, in both my feet,” but his screams alerted a nearby resident. Stephanie Homan heard his cries for help and called 911. Fahmy was taken to the hospital, where he stayed overnight before being released without any injuries.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We are grateful that Thomas, a member of my congressional staff, is alive and well after being struck by lightning last week,” Malliotakis stated in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/198PHz7CG7/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement</a> Monday. “I thank the good Samaritan who ran to his aid and the medical staff at Staten Island University Hospital who treated him.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The incident was captured on surveillance camera.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I heard yelling, heard ‘help me, help me,’ so I ran to my door and saw him down here on the ground, so I got the phone and called 911,” Homan told WNBC.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fahmy remarked that the near-death experience provided him with a new perspective on life. He noted that the doctors “were in complete astonishment” at his condition.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“No burns. I had multiple body exams, no burns at all,” he told WABC. “I went to church Sunday to say thank you, God.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Appreciate life, smile, and breathe fresh air once in a while and don’t let life overwhelm you,” Fahmy added.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The chances of being struck by lightning are less than one in a million, with a 90% survival rate, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/lightning/data-research/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to</a> the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>