A Georgia woman says she is blessed to be alive after a terrifying lightning strike outside her Catholic church left her unconscious, not breathing, and with no pulse.

Mary “Jeanna” Menna, 54, was sitting in her car outside St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cobb County on May 6 as a violent storm rolled through the area. Moments later, surveillance footage captured a blinding flash of light swallowing her car in the church parking lot.

Menna said she had just opened her car door when lightning struck a nearby tree. The bolt reportedly split the tree, sent a shockwave through her vehicle, and threw her into cardiac arrest.

The last thing she remembered was the storm raging around her.

“The rain was very heavy,” Menna said during an emotional press conference this week, where she reunited with the first responders who saved her life. “It was thunder, lightning.”

Then everything went dark.

“Apparently the lightning hit the tree, split it in half, hit my car, and I went into cardiac arrest,” she said, according to WSB-TV.

When paramedics arrived, Menna was in desperate condition. She was unconscious, not breathing, and had no pulse. Emergency crews immediately began CPR in the rain-soaked parking lot before rushing her to the hospital.

Marietta Fire Assistant Chief Kevin Gerhard said the storm made the rescue even more difficult.

“One of the biggest challenges is it was raining so bad, so we had to get her out of the rain and into the ambulance,” Gerhard said. “Fortunately, Kennestone Hospital was not that far away, but they were ready for her.”

Against the odds, Menna survived.

This week, she became emotional as she hugged the paramedics who fought to bring her back. She has since recovered and said doctors have given her a clean bill of health.

For Menna, there is no doubt why she made it through the horrifying ordeal.

She said her faith carried her through, and she called the first responders who saved her life “truly, God’s angels on earth.”