Collin BestorNorthwest Florida Daily News
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The mother of one of the teen girls injured in Friday's shark attacks is sharing her story and detailing the first steps of her daughter's road to recovery.
Lulu Gribbin was one of three people injured Friday in a pair of shark attacks that occurred within a 4-mile stretch of Walton County beaches. Her incident was reported to first responders about 2:56 p.m., less than 90 minutes after the first attack was reported.
Lulu's mother, Ann Blair Gribbin, said they left Birmingham, Alabama, on June 5 for their first mother-daughter beach trip with Lulu's twin sister, Ellie, and some friends. At the time of the attack, Ann Blair Gribbin was walking back from a restaurant where they had previously had lunch, according to an account she wrote on the CaringBridge website.
At that same time, Lulu and some friends were in waist-deep waters looking for sand dollars. That is when a shark bit LuLu's hand and leg. This incident was first noticed by a man and a boy. They pulled Lulu out of the water and carried her to shore.
Gribbin wrote that as she was walking back from lunch, she saw everyone on the beach looking into the water. She then had her friend call her daughters to check in, but unfortunately she received no answer.
Gribbin said this made her feel uneasy. She panicked and ran toward the beach. After arriving on the scene, she began screaming as she saw her daughter's wounds.
'I made it': Teen wakes up in Pensacola's Sacred Heart after Walton County shark attack
"She was lifeless, her eyes closed, mouth white and pale," Gribbin wrote in her account."The wound on her leg, or all that was left of her leg, was something out of a movie."
While Lulu was taken by helicopter to Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola, the Gribbin family then made the hour-and-20-minute drive to the hospital. They prayed for Lulu the entire drive.
When the family arrived, Lulu already was in surgery. Doctors informed the family that she was alive and that her vital signs were good. Medical personnel also told the family that they had to amputate Lulu's right leg halfway up, from the knee to her hip, and that she had lost two-thirds of her blood supply. She also lost a hand.
Doctors told Gribbin that Lulu would have to remain on a ventilator for the next week and at least five more surgeries would be needed to finalize her amputations. As Saturday arrived, Lulu's condition improved so much that a ventilator was no longer needed.
As she woke up, Lulu spoke her first words to the family post-attack.
"I made it," she said, according to her mom's account.
As the written account came to a close, Gribbin said that not only was she "eternally grateful" for the medical staff at Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola, but also thankful for those who attended to her daughter at the beach, which she says were crucial in those fateful moments.
Gribbin also noted the "outpouring" of support from friends and those on social media, which she says "have lifted us all up." As the recovery process continues, the family continues to ask for prayers for her daughter as they adapt to a new normal.
Related story: Florida beaches open after shark attacks injure 3 and take a woman's hand.
The original story: Three people injured in two shark attacks; beaches closed in Walton County
"At this point, we will have multiple surgeries in the days to come, and our lives will be forever changed. Lulu is strong, beautiful, brave and so many more things I can't count. God has a plan for her, and we will be there to support her every way we can," wrote Gribbin.
"Pray for her to have strength to get through whatever is coming her way. Pray for her healing to be fast and pain to be as minimal as possible," added Gribbin."She is worried about not fitting in and people making fun of her. I need prayers for everyone to be understanding and to show her grace.I also need prayers for Lulu to know that her hand and her leg do not define who she is.
"I know this was a terrible accident, but God was there and had the people there who helped save her life. Lulu said she felt God in the back of the beach truck. She is truly a miracle. We have a long road ahead, and our journey is just beginning."
