Palm Harbor science teacher recovering, leaning on community after tragic lightning strike in Peru

CLEARWATER, Fla. - For James Fernandez and his wife, Alexis, sitting in their Clearwater home, reading through over 250 cards brings much-needed light to what’s been a difficult past four months.

Over Thanksgiving, the Palm Harbor Middle School science teacher suffered a severe spinal cord injury after a lightning strike threw him from his mountain bike while on vacation in Peru over Thanksgiving.

"This is all new for us, so friends and family are all pitching in to help us find a new normal, find a rhythm," James, now a quadriplegic, told FOX 13.

The backstory:

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, James traveled to Peru with Alexis, their infant child, and close friend, Yuri Botelho, along with his wife and baby.

James, a former biking guide who used to lead tours in Spanish-speaking countries, wanted to share a region of the world he loves with his friends.

"I've always been an outdoor enthusiast. I love bikes. I love the ocean. I love surfing. It's what drew me back to Peru. I spent a lot of time in Peru. Peru has so much adventure, and I wanted to share some of the experiences that I had with my family and some of my new friends," Fernandez said. "That's what took us back there."

 During the vacation, James and Yuri joined a local guide for a scenic mountain biking excursion.

"Started to rain while we were on the mountain soon after we had started. And lightning struck our friend directly and threw me off my bike," James said. "And I landed directly on my head."

Tragically, the lightning strike killed Yuri.

The brutal fall left James with a severe spinal cord injury.

Dig deeper:

As she tried to figure out why her husband and Yuri hadn’t returned home yet, Alexis said she got a phone call from the hospital.

When Alexis arrived, she said the hospital was chaotic and had scarce resources. At one point, staff told her to go buy blankets for James from a vendor outside the hospital.

"I kept calling his dad, (saying) he's going to die here, like if we don't leave, he's not going to make it," an emotional Alexis said.

It was also a struggle to get information about what had happened to Yuri.

"They never told us directly what had happened to Yuri. They told the guide. And so, we found out in the middle of this very chaotic hospital that Yuri had passed, and they didn't tell us how or why. And we didn't know where he was. We had no idea where they were in relation to coming down the mountain. And so that was the beginning of probably the longest 36 hours of our lives," Alexis said.

Through James's local connections, he was moved to a private hospital where surgeons successfully fused his C3 and C4 vertebrae, stabilizing his body so he could be medically evacuated.

James was flown to Tampa General Hospital where he fought infections and relied on a ventilator. Eventually, he was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta for intensive spinal cord rehabilitation.

The couple finally returned to their Clearwater home at the beginning of March.

"Bittersweet," Alexis said. "I mean, the last time we were here, we were going on a trip completely normal, right? And we came back to Christmas presents unopened and bags still unpacked. It was very surreal."

But the couple is also grateful to finally be back near family.

"The kids, being able to spend all the time with the kids," Alexis said.

What's next:

The couple is now raising money online for a mobility vehicle that costs roughly $90,000.

"Prognosis is actually not great. The doctors at Shepherd kind of set expectations that this could be it. But there could be recovery for up to two years. Spinal cord injuries take a really long time to heal. And so, it's a slow process," James said. "There are signs that there are some things coming back. My shoulders can move, but my deltoids are starting to be able to kind of push my arms around just a tiny bit. My biceps are starting to show some signs of firing. And so those are all promising."

Big picture view:

 Despite the unimaginable tragedy and the daunting physical challenges ahead, James and Alexis remain overwhelmingly positive.

"Life's not over. We just need to figure out what new fun things that we can do," Alexis said with a smile. "What a shame it would be to just give up, right?"

As for the message James has for his students and colleagues?

"I really miss them. I miss my students. I miss going to work. I miss being there, my colleagues" James said. "It’s such a great faculty and staff and student body at that school. I really hope to see them soon."