Thomas Fahmy, a congressional caseworker from New York, was struck by lightning on August 27 while returning to his car after a dental appointment in Staten Island's Castleton Corners neighborhood. The next day, he bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket—a decision he now describes with characteristic understatement.
Doorbell camera footage captured the moment Fahmy collapsed on the pavement as several loud bangs rang out. Homeowner Stefanie Homan heard his cries for help and let him inside, with emergency operators advising her that Fahmy should not touch water or eat food.
A one-in-a-million encounter
According to the National Weather Service, the odds of being struck by lightning in any given year are less than one in a million. Fahmy told CBS News he felt 'numbness, tingling and pain' in both feet when the strike occurred.
'I was beginning to scream, "Help, help, help," because of just, I was so confused and I was so much in pain,' he said. 'I was very scared that I would be struck by lightning again… Just a harrowing, crazy, miraculous, every type of feeling emotion you could feel.'
Hospital tests and a lottery attempt
Fahmy told WABC that he never lost consciousness and spent 12 hours in the hospital undergoing a series of blood tests before being discharged. Doctors reported no injuries or burns, advising him only to drink liquids upon returning home.
Before heading home, however, Fahmy tested his luck on something with similarly astronomical odds—the Mega Millions lottery, where the jackpot odds stand at one in 290,000,000. He did not win.
Recovery and recognition
'I won a second opportunity at life, that's it,' Fahmy said to CBS News. He returned to work within a week of the incident.
Stefanie Homan, who assisted Fahmy, was honored with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition by Representative Nicole Malliotakis, the Republican politician for whom Fahmy does casework. Malliotakis said it was a local instinct to 'run to help people' and added: 'Always help someone in need and just spread the kindness of that.'
