“Am I Dead or Alive?”: Rock Climbing Star Overcame a Near-Fatal Electrical Shock Once to Achieve an Insane Feat

The general notion is that hands are something you can’t do without when you’re rock climbing. The majority of rock climbing involves a person hanging off the face of a cliff, depending on their hands and their feet to hold their weight so that they don’t fall to their death. The idea of climbing mountains with dysfunctional hands seems insane. But the aptly named Melissa Strong has done exactly that!

After losing many of her fingers in a terrible and painful accident, Strong returned to rock climbing as therapy for her trauma.

Melissa Strong lived up to her name!

Strong was living a decent and happy life. She had the rock climbing skills, she bouldered frequently, and she was also in the hospitality business. However, all of this came crashing down in 2017, when she had a freakish accident.

According to WebMD, while working on a home modeling project in her garage, Melissa Strong accidentally grabbed the lead of a wood burner. There was a 2000-volt current running through them, and the current burned her hands immediately.

Her first thought was, “Am I dead or alive?” She recalled that her hands “looked like melted wax.” While she was going to the hospital for her treatment, she realized the magnitude of what had happened and started screaming, “I have no hands!” After she reached the hospital, her prognosis was not a good one. The doctors told her, “I’d only have four fingers — pinkies and index.” 

Read more: Chilling Video Captured 9-Year-Old Rock Climbing Sensation Scaling 450-Foot Cliff to Raise Money in Memory of His Mother in 2018

Despite the tragedy, like a brave warrior, Melissa Strong overcame this accident and returned to her passion with a newfound sense of purpose.

Rock climbing became her therapy

Even though she lost some fingers in the accident, she did not let go of her dream of returning to rock climbing one day. She wrote, “Hello, my name is Melissa Strong! These are my first words written with my new hands. One day I will climb again!!! And probably will cry a lot along the way which is OK!”

To facilitate her journey, her husband got her a Peloton bike, and Strong started working out. She even modified her home climbing wall to include holds that her now smaller hands could grip. Within three months of her accident, she was doing pull-ins at home to strengthen and extend her arms. Within 6 months, she was taking on easy routes. After merely a year, she climbed her favorite boulder.

Something that was easy before her accident became a taxing task after it. But she didn’t give up on her dream and proved that she had the mettle to succeed. Isn’t the story of this amazing climber inspiring?

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