Dorchester lightning strike victim able to eat and drink for first time since accident, family says

BOSTON — A little over a month since being struck by a bolt of lightning while walking her dog, a Boston travel nurse can finally eat food and drink water for the first time since the accident.

On September 9, 31-year-old Thalita Teixeira Padilla was walking her dog, Bruce, along the boardwalk at Savin Hill Beach when the unthinkable happened.

‘We are extremely blessed:’ Travel nurse struck by lightning in Dorchester reunited with dog

As she stopped to talk with a friend, a lightning bolt crashed down, striking the area where she was standing. Padilla was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but has since bounced back from her injuries.

Dorchester lightning strike victim able to eat and drink for first time since accident, family says

On Monday, her husband tells Boston 25 News she just passed her swallow evaluation at Boston Medical Center, meaning for the first time since the traumatic incident, she can drink and eat.

“She has been overjoyed with this outcome,” her husband said. “She has been dearly missing these small pleasures in life.”

Although she still has a ways to go before she’s back to her normal life, the news is a welcomed sign of how far Padilla has come.