It's been a touch-and-go couple of days for one mother and her teenage daughter. A shark attacked the teen while on a beach trip in Florida, biting off part of her leg and hand.
The shark's attack of Lulu Gribbin, 15, was just one of three that day in a 90-minute stretch. Now, her mother Ann Blair Gribbin is speaking out. She was on her first mother-daughter beach trip with her daughters Lulu and Ellie. She learned from Ellie that a shark had attacked Lulu.
Mother Recounts Horrific Tale
"I saw her wounds on her leg and started to scream," the mom wrote on caringbridge.org. "She was lifeless her eyes closed mouth white and pale. The wound on her leg or all that was left of her leg was something out of a movie. I finally made it back to her and held her hand and she saw me, and I told her I was there. Her eyes were open. I had no idea how long she had been there or what had happened."
Her mother said that emergency services quickly arrived and began to work on her daughter. She ended up being airlifted to a local hospital. She wrote, "We were told she was going one place and then finally got an answer she was going to Sacred Heart in Pensacola. This was an hour and 20-minute drive. We prayed the entire way. My friend who was driving was a God send for me and Ellie and knew exactly what to pray. All I could say over and over was please be alive please breathe. No one we called could give us any information."
By the time they arrived, her daughter was already in surgery. The mom learned the extent of the teen's injuries fromt he shark attack. She wrote, "We were informed that the shark had bitten off Lulu's left hand and that they had to amputate her right leg halfway up from her knee to her hip. She also had lost 2/3 of the blood in her body. Of course, no one wants that for your child but she is alive. They also told us that Lulu may be intubated for the next week or so and would need 4-5 surgeries to finalize her amputations."
Shark Injures Teen
Meanwhile, Lulu recovered enough to have her breathing tube removed. She also recounted her own terrifying experience with the shark. The teen was fortunate to be alive. She wrote, "I am not sure who noticed the shark first, but Lulu said it bit her hand and then her leg and then went for her other friend and got her foot. Lulu said a man grabbed her other arm and pulled her out and another younger boy helped him carry her to shore. Once on the shore there were two doctors and two other young women one of whom was a nurse who were all surrounding Lulu. These individuals put tourniquets on Lulus wounds. Which I believe was crucial to saving Lulu's life. She was then taken by the beach truck and airlifted to Sacred Heart in Pensacola where we are now. "
