12-year-old boy struck by lightning during football match

Ronnie Wraith was hit in the chest by a lightning strike while playing in a tournament with the Hertfordshire county team in October of last year.

This resulted in a cardiac arrest with the youngster’s heart stopping for 30 minutes before he was stabilised and put into an induced coma.

He slowly recovered under 24-hour care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and has now made a miraculous return to the pitch just four months after the ordeal took place.

Wraith, who plays for Ware FC’s U13 side, came on as a substitute during Sunday’s win over Saffron Walden.

He had been placed in an induced coma and began to walk unaided in November, before making a recovery to return to the pitch less than five months later.

Ronnie’s mother Emily set up a GoFundMe to help raise money for her son’s rehabilitation and treatment back in October.

On the fundraiser’s page, Emily wrote: ‘On Monday 2 October, Ronnie was lucky enough to do be doing what he loved, playing football while representing his district of Hertfordshire.

‘With four minutes left of the game to be played, the unthinkable took place with Ronnie being struck to the chest by lightning! This resulted in a cardiac arrest and his heart stopping for a 30-minute period.

‘A huge thank you for the members of the public who administered CPR prior to the arrival of the emergency services who were able to take over and give this boy a second chance of life.

‘Ronnie is currently in an induced coma with the prognosis still unsure, he is receiving 24hr care from an amazing team in PICU.

‘The road to recovery is still unsure but will definitely be a long hard road for Ronnie and the family.’