A Pinellas County science teacher returned home after suffering life-altering injuries while on vacation in Peru.James Fernandez reads every card he receives from friends, strangers and his students.WATCH: Pinellas County scienc e teacher becomes paralyzed after lightning strike in Peru Pinellas County science teacher becomes paralyzed after lightning strike in PeruMore than 250 cards decorate his dining room table."I never imagined Id receive so much love. Its great," said James.The Palm Harbor Middle School science teacher returned home earlier this month."It feels great to be home. Theres a lot of challenges, and its pretty early on were all learning how to navigate this and live in what will be the new normal, but, overall, I'm grateful to be here," he said.James and his wife, Alexis, traveled to Peru over the Thanksgiving holiday. Another couple traveled with them.Before becoming a teacher, James worked as a tour guide and traveled the world."I was a tour guide so I took people on hiking and cycling trips, all over the world. It was a really great experience, and the last time Ive been in Peru was about 10 years ago. I had a lot of connections and friends there, so it was a place that I was really fond of and always wanted to go to, so we decided to go to Peru for a vacation," he said.James and his good friend, Yuri Botelho, went mountain biking with a guide. A lightning strike threw him off his bike. The strike killed Yuri."I just all of a sudden remember waking up in the grass, having a hard time breathing and not feeling my legs," he said.James spent more than a week in a Peruvian hospital, followed by nearly two months of intensive rehab at Shepherd Center in Atlanta."The rehab work was really focused on mobility, flexibility and training me and my family how to take care of myself and for them to take care of me and training us on how to keep me safe and keep me healthy," he said.The 42-year-old became paralyzed from the neck down."I landed directly on my head, and that injury actually broke C3 and C4 on my spine and left me with a contusion on my spinal cord, which has left me as a quadriplegic. Ive had no feeling and no movement for my shoulders down," said James."It's a pretty devastating injury, really," he said.A GoFundMe page continues to support his recovery. His home requires modifications, and he needs a mobility van to get around."Life is too beautiful to not enjoy every minute no matter what condition or state you're in and with the love and support of my family and friends, community, it's super possible," said James.James said he's grateful to everyone who has reached out and supported him. ...read more read less