Central Texas teen has sense of humor as she recovers from being struck by lightning 
 
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 gallery_thumbnails_photo|photo-8090761|article-gallery-6304355|11 Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close gallery_thumbnails_show|article-gallery-6304355|article-gallery-6304355|0 gallery_overlay_open|article-gallery-6304355|article-gallery-6304355|0 gallery_overlay_open_thumbs|article-gallery-6304355|article-gallery-6304355|0 Image 1 of 12 Macie Martinez's mother, Misty Villareal, said her daughter, who is currently a trainer for the Lake Travis High School softball team, hopes to be a nurse some day. Her mother worries the nerve damage from the incident may affect her long-term. Macie Martinez's mother, Misty Villareal, said her daughter, who is... Image 2 of 12 Austin teen recovers after being struck by lightning on Memorial Day. Austin teen recovers after being struck by lightning on Memorial Day. Image 3 of 12 Macie's mother, Misty Martinez, said it appears the lightning entered through the roof of her home. Macie's mother, Misty Martinez, said it appears the lightning... Image 4 of 12 In addition to the family's gaming systems, wood flooring, fridge and other appliances, the garage door sensor was destroyed by the lightning. In addition to the family's gaming systems, wood flooring, fridge... Image 5 of 12 Lake Travis high school student Macie Martinez jokes on social media after being struck by lightning. Lake Travis high school student Macie Martinez jokes on social... Image 6 of 12 Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis High School junior stays positive after getting struck by lightning. Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis High School junior stays positive... Image 7 of 12 Macie Martinez's step dad Anthony Villarreal realized his "fern rash" upon returning home from the hospital. Macie Martinez's step dad Anthony Villarreal realized his "fern... Image 8 of 12 Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, serves as a trainer for her high school softball team. Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, serves as a trainer for her... Image 9 of 12 Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, stays positive after being struck by lightning. Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, stays positive after being... Image 10 of 12 Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, stays positive after being struck by lightning. Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, stays positive after being... Image 11 of 12 Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, stays positive after being struck by lightning. Macie Martinez, a Lake Travis junior, stays positive after being... Image 12 of 12 Central Texas teen has sense of humor as she recovers from being struck by lightning 1 / 12 Back to Gallery gallery_thumbs_close|article-gallery-6304355|article-gallery-6304355|0 gallery_overlay_close|article-gallery-6304355|article-gallery-6304355|0 
 
 Just over one week after being struck by lightning in her Dripping Springs home, Lake Travis High School student Macie Martinez is taking a light-hearted approach on social media as she recalls the events that left her with a "cool scar." 
 
 In her most recent post on Instagram, Martinez joked "call me Sparky" with bolts of lighting bracketing the caption, but on Memorial Day the mood was entirely different as Martinez's mother, Misty Villarreal, said her daughter let out the worst scream she has ever heard as Macie opened the refrigerator door. 
 
 "Macie went in the kitchen to get some applesauce. It was so surreal, there was a loud explosion, everything went dark and at the same time, Macie started screaming, but it wasn't from her throat. It was a deep scream. It was just so scary," Villarreal said in a phone interview. 
 
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 After Macie's father Anthony Villarreal removed his daughter from the kitchen, Macie was rushed to the hospital where doctors surveyed the Fern rash on her back, which doctors told Misty is a typical symptom of those who have been struck by lightning. 
 
 Upon their return home, Anthony noticed similar marks on his arms. 
 
 Macie told myFOXAustin the ordeal was the most painful thing she had ever experienced. After the incident, Macie's legs were paralyzed for 45 minutes, but the long-term damages are still unknown. 
 
 What Macie and her family do know is that Macie suffered nerve damage in her arm and hands, and while Macie maintains a cheerful spirit in light of her painful experience, doctors are monitoring her liver and kidneys as she follows doctors' orders to finish her final exams and rest. 
 
 She said she still experiences bouts of fatigue and numbness in her arm, and her mother said Macie exhibits random incidents of confusion and forgetfulness. 
 
 "We're so overwhelmed, that we can't help but laugh or we would cry all the time," Misty said. 
 
 "So, we're calling her things like Sparky and Bolt to boost our spirits." 
 
 Her parents are glad their only losses that day were inanimate household objects, losing just about everything but the coffee maker. 
 
 "I get my daughter and coffee maker, so I'm set," Misty joked. "We want to be positive, because we are so thankful. There's so much to be thankful for because for me, it was such a traumatic experience." 
 
 mmedina@mysa.com 
 
 Twitter: @mariahmedinaaa ||||| Rowdy Radford. 
 
 A Matagorda County teenager lost a leg, and potentially his eyesight, from a homemade explosive Saturday night that he fashioned with 180 sparklers wrapped tightly with electrical tape. 
 
 The sparkler bomb exploded in Rowdy Radford’s face when he lit it behind his aunt’s house in Sargent, Texas. Now the teen is in intensive care at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, his left leg amputated below the knee, his hands, face and chest scorched, and his eyes heavily bandaged. Doctors won’t know if he still has his eyesight until he wakes up from sedation to tell them if he can see. 
 
 Both he and a friend, who suffered less serious injuries, had metal shards from the sparklers propelled into their eyes. 
 
 The boys’ families say the sparkler bomb blew a four-foot hole in the ground and was heard by neighbors as far as four miles away. 
 
 Rowdy Radford was seriously injured by a sparkler bomb that he made by wrapping 180 sparklers in electrical tape. 
 
 “Rowdy has always been known for making his booms and he makes his booms by scaring everybody,” said his aunt Samantha Hansen. 
 
 “They do it every year,” said his mom Wendy Smith. “But we didn’t know this was going to be a big one.” 
 
 “As soon as Rowdy went down to light it, it exploded. He didn’t even have a chance to run,” Hansen said. 
 
 Leg amputated, face scorched, eyes questionable from sparkler bomb.His family's warning to other teens 4 5 6p @KHOU pic.twitter.com/70Y55y8x5q — Kevin Reece (@KReeceKHOU) July 4, 2016 
 
 His family agreed to talk to KHOU 11 News this July 4, temporarily leaving their sedated son’s bedside to send a message to other kids and parents. 
 
 YouTube clips show teens creating the same explosive devices all across the country. Some place the powder inside tennis balls and light them. Others have wrapped as many as 1,000 sparklers together, proving it creates enough explosive power to blow up a car. 
 
 Now that power of a few supposedly safe sparklers shows in the face and damaged limbs of a 15-year-old boy—his recovery not guaranteed, his life changed forever. 
 
 Doctors had to amputate Rowdy Radford's left leg below his knee after a sparkler bomb blew exploded as he lit it. His hands, face and chest were also badly burned. 
 
 “It’s really hard to see your baby go through all this. I just want the parents to know don’t let your kids play with fireworks, it’s not worth it. It really ain’t,” his mom said. “It hurts because I want to see my kid talk to me and he’s not because he can’t. It’s really rough.” 
 
 “If you knew Rowdy and how wonderful a child he was, you wouldn’t want nobody to go through this,” his aunt said. “Protect your children anything can happen.” 
 
 His family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover medical expenses.
– Lightning strikes people often enough, but usually not when they're opening the fridge for a snack. Such is the plight of Texas high school student Macie Martinez, who was home with her parents on Memorial Day when a storm blew in. She was opening the fridge to grab some applesauce when the bolt struck. "It was so surreal," her mom tells the Houston Chronicle. "There was a loud explosion, everything went dark and at the same time, Macie started screaming, but it wasn't from her throat. It was a deep scream." The teen tells MyFox Austin that she remembers not being able to feel her legs, and her parents hustled her to the hospital. She suffered nerve damage in her arms and hands, and doctors are keeping an eye on her kidney and liver, but she seems to have escaped major harm. "I feel very lucky," she tells the TV station. "Lucky to be sitting here doing this interview today." She's even making light of herself on Instagram, telling people to call her Sparky. It turns out that Martinez's father also got zapped, though his telltale rash didn't show up until after the family had returned from the hospital. "My right arm gets tingly," he says. The family home sustained significant damage from the strike, which a neighbor says appeared to have come from beneath the house and exited through the roof. Appliances were fried, with the coffee maker one of the few survivors. That's fine with mom: "I get my daughter and coffee maker, so I'm set." (This guy survived a lightning strike to the head.)