Aftershock

HAYDEN - Stephanie Rey has had her dose of being shocked.

The Hayden woman jolted by lightning last month will be featured on an upcoming episode of "The Doctors."

"I had no idea putting one video online would amount to such a big ruckus," the 46-year-old Rey said. "I was shocked - literally, no pun intended."

C.C. Weske, 21, Rey's daughter, is a video editor from Los Angeles. When she went outside to capture video during the North Idaho storm, Rey decided to get a video of her daughter.

Then lightning struck between the two, temporarily injuring Rey.

"My body got super hot and my arms and legs tingled for about six hours," she said, adding that she's not sure if she took a direct hit because it happened so fast. "It was super close to me. It was louder than any gun going off. Our ears were ringing for a while, and we couldn't hear for a minute."

Rey suspects she'll be on an episode of "The Doctors" in the next two to three months.

"They said they'd let me know a week before it is televised," said Rey, who manages a printer service and repair company in Los Angeles from her Hayden home.

Rey's interview on "The Doctors" was taped on Aug. 29 in Los Angeles. During the trip, both she and Weske were also interviewed for an Australian show called "Sunrise."

Rey said she hasn't been to a doctor since the lightning incident, but it was recommended to her on the show that she be seen if she experiences anything out of the ordinary.

"I've been a little forgetful and a little scatter-brained, but that may be from being nervous from all of the media madness," she said. "I'm not a big doctor-goer, but if something weird comes up, I'll go get it checked out."

Rey said she considers herself lucky to be alive. She also has a new perspective on life.

"Life every day like it's your last," she said. "One more step and (the lightning) probably would have gotten me. I'm definitely here for a reason. Somebody was watching out for me."

There have been 21 lightning fatalities this year in the United States, according to the National Weather Service.

Rey said the best part of her trip to Los Angeles was visiting friends, which is something she'll never take for granted now.

Rey, who loves to fish, said she isn't one to seek the spotlight.

"I don't like a lot of attention drawn to me," she said. "I hoped that it would be for winning the lottery or catching a state record bass, not almost dying in front of my daughter."