Leah Lendel was bitten by a bull shark as she was snorkeling with her family from a beach in Boca Grande
A 10-year-old girl whose hand was reattached after it was severed in a shark attack has spoken of her remarkable recovery after a “miracle” six-hour operation that has allowed her to resume knitting outfits for her beloved Barbie dolls.
Leah Lendel’s right hand was left hanging by shreds of skin after the bite by a 9ft bull shark as she was snorkeling with her family at a beach in Boca Grande, Florida, in June.
Her mother, Nadia, frantically tried to get Leah and her younger sisters, aged one and three, out of the shallow water and on to land. Nearby construction workers raced to help, one of them placing a tourniquet on Leah’s arm and others wrapping the wound in a towel until first responders arrived.
Leah, who was nine when she was injured, and her mother spoke of their ordeal for the first time in an interview on CBS’s Inside Edition on Monday night, recalling the shark attack and praising the skill of surgeons at Tampa general hospital (TGH). Leah was able to move two fingers within 24 hours of the operation, and is now undergoing intensive physical therapy to regain as much movement as possible.
