Overview
- Jeanne Menna was struck by lightning while volunteering outside St. Joseph Catholic School on May 6, when the bolt split a nearby tree, hit her car, and sent her into cardiac arrest.
- A Marietta police officer began CPR within roughly 90 seconds in heavy rain, a second officer joined compressions, and arriving firefighters used a defibrillator to revive her at the scene.
- Menna was rushed to WellStar Kennestone Hospital and doctors have since discharged her with no lasting effects from the strike, a recovery clinicians described as astonishing.
- Menna returned to the church parking lot on June 30 to meet and thank the officers and firefighters who saved her life, and first responders called the reunion meaningful and rejuvenating.
- The episode illustrates how immediate CPR and timely defibrillation can save lives in lightning-caused cardiac arrest and may prompt greater public focus on emergency training and preparedness.