Latest news with #NadiaLendel
The Sun
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Girl, 9, recalls moment she ‘picked up hand' & ‘started screaming' in horror shark attack as dad says ‘miracle' happened
Emma Crabtree, Weekend US Editor Published: Invalid Date, THE nine-year-old girl has recalled the moment her hand was almost torn off in a savage shark attack while snorkeling with her mom. Leah Lendel underwent a six-hour surgery to repair her hand that was left "hanging by skin" after she was mauled by an eight-foot shark off Boca Grande beach in Florida on June 11. 9 9 9 9 "Something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference at Tampa General Hospital. While flanked by her parents and doctors, Leah recalled how she and her mom started screaming when they realized what happened. "I didn't see anything. I was just snorkeling," she said. "I went up to breathe. And then, something hard bit me and tried to take me away. "Then I pick up my hand and is all in blood. I start screaming with my mom". Nadia, Leah's mom, told reporters how she thought her daughter had lost a limb, saying "It was really, really bad" and that she didn't think her daughter "was going to have a hand." "It's some sort of miracle that now she has a hand," she added. "There was so much blood in the water right next to me, in an instant I knew it's a shark attack," Nadia said, adding that her daughter's "instincts kicked in". Leah ran out of the water where she was picked up by her dad and taken to the road where people rushed to help. "We [saw] that little girl come out from the water with no hand, it was... like everybody was in shock," eyewitness Alfonso Tello who was on a lunch break at the beach told NBC-affiliate WBBH. Shark attack reported at popular US beach as victim rushed to hospital just weeks after 1,600lb beast spotted in state One horrified beach goer who ran to Leah told CBS-affiliate WINK that her hand "was hanging but this whole thing was completely hanging out. You can see bones all completely red". A frantic 911 call revealed how those nearby wrapped towels around Leah's hand that was "completely destroyed" and put her arm in a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. Within four minutes, responders from the Boca Grande Fire Department were on scene and she was flown two hours to Tampa General. MIRACLE WORKERS Leah's doctors told reporters how there was a six-hour window for them to save her hand from the moment she was mauled by the shark. Statement from Leah Lendel's family following the shark attack Nine-year-old Leah experienced a terrifying and life-altering event. Her family has issued the following statement following the suspected bull shark attack in Boca Grande, Florida: "We want to say Thank You to everyone that is praying for our sweet Leah. "We are thankful for the quick response of everyone that was on scene, the construction workers, residents that ran out to help and the first responders and to all the Doctors/Nurses that are doing everything to help our girl. "Yesterday Leah had an extensive surgery on her hand (wrist & fingers). "The Doctors, were able to get blood flow to her hand and fingers. "She is showing some movement in two fingers but can't feel the rest. "The doctors will be doing another procedure tomorrow to see if there is anything else that needs to be done. "The fact that Leah has all her fingers attached is already a testimony. "From witnessing her wrist hanging on by just the skin, to have blood flow in all of her hand and fingers is truly a miracle. "Please keep praying for our family, our God is a miracle worker." Less than an hour after she arrived at the hospital, she was in surgery where they had to stabilize the bone and take blood vessels from her leg to help restore blood flow to her hand. "I was trying to hold myself together, Leah's dad Jay said. "I think I was crying more than she was." An x-ray of her hand shows how the skin, muscles, and bones in her hand were severed almost all the way across the middle. Doctors called the fact it was a shark bite a "curse and a blessing". 9 9 Their sharp teeth mean the cut was clean and not jagged, meaning there was "good tissue to work with and put back together in a timely fashion," Dr Alfred Hess said. Leah will still need physical therapy and to have the pins in her hand removed but her parents say they are "just thankful for everybody". "I didn't think it was possible because I was holding her hand in my hand and I didn't think there was any chance at all of saving it," he said. "I'm so thankful to the surgeons for making such a miracle." "I'm just very thankful she's alive," Jay added. Leah said could not wait to start "playing with all my siblings" once her wounds healed. Her family launched a GoFundMe page to help with her recovery which has received over $47,700 at the time of writing. This week, another shark attack was reported at a popular US beach and a 12-year-old girl was mauled by a 12ft alligator while playing in shallow water with her friends. 9 9
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
9-year-old Florida girl whose hand was nearly bitten off by shark recalls attack: 'I start screaming'
A 9-year-old girl in Florida is recovering from surgery after a shark nearly bit her hand off while she was snorkeling on a beach off Boca Grande last week. Leah Lendel spoke about that terrifying moment on Thursday during a press conference at the Tampa General Hospital, where she received treatment. "I didn't see anything. I was just snorkeling," Leah said. "I went up to breathe. And then, something hard bit me and tried to take me away." "Then I pick up my hand and is all in blood," Leah recalled. "I start screaming with my mom." Leah's mother, Nadia Lendel, said she didn't think her daughter "was going to have a hand' after seeing the injury. 'It was really, really bad,' Nadia said, her voice breaking. "It's some sort of miracle that now she has a hand.' Dr. Alfred Hess, one of the orthopedic surgeons who treated Leah, said that throughout his career he has seen several animal injuries from alligators to lions and shark bites. 'A shark injury is both a curse and a blessing. In this case, because the shark's teeth are so sharp, the cut through the wrist is clean and not jagged. It doesn't ruin all the tissue. So, we have good tissue to work with and put it back together in a timely fashion,' Hess said. Timing was of the essence for doctors to save Leah's hand. Dr. Joshua Linnell, another orthopedic surgeons who treated Leah, said the key is to see patients "before the six hour mark" because after that "they start losing muscle tissue." Jay Lendel, Leah's father, was also with her when the shark attack happened. After seeing Leah's hand nearly bitten off, Jay picked his daughter up and ran to the road, searching for help. 'I also didn't think it was possible because I was holding her hand in my hand and I didn't think there was any chance at all of saving it," Jay said. "I'm so thankful to the surgeons for making such a miracle.' While at the hospital recovering from her injury, Leah received periodic visits from Belle, a golden retriever who works at the Tampa General Hospital as its official facility dog, providing emotional support to young patients. 'She always came to lick me and play with me,' Leah said. Her mother, Nadia, said Leah would always ask when Belle was coming to visit and would tell her older sisters all about it. At the press conference, Leah showed up with a Carter pillow, or as Dr. Linell's patients like to call it, "the cheese pillow." It helps patients with upper limb injuries keep their hand elevated to prevent swelling during their recovery. "She's done a fantastic job, I can already tell you," Linell said. As Leah's long road to recovery continues, the girl said she can't wait until her hand is healed, so she can go back to "playing with all my siblings." This article was originally published on
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
9-year-old girl recounts moment she was bitten by shark while snorkeling
A 9-year-old girl who was bitten on the hand by a shark in Florida is speaking out about the terrifying moment she was attacked. Leah Lendel was snorkeling near Boca Grande on June 11 when "something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference Thursday alongside her parents and the doctors who treated her. "Then I pick up my hand and it's all in blood," Leah said. "Then I started screaming with my mom." MORE: 9-year-old girl nearly loses her hand in shark attack off Florida Gulf Coast "There was so much blood in the water right next to me," Leah's mom, Nadia Lendel, said at the news conference. "In an instant, I knew it's a shark attack." "I just started to scream to my husband," Nadia Lendel recalled. Meanwhile, Leah's "instincts kicked in" and she ran out of the water, her mom said. "Then my dad was with me," Leah said. "He picked me up and we ran to the road." Leah's parents expressed their gratitude for the construction workers who were eating lunch on the beach and immediately ran to help them call 911 and put Leah's arm in a tourniquet. Leah's dad said EMS then responded within minutes. Tampa General Hospital doctors praised the first responders for choosing to fly the two hours in the helicopter to their hospital where they said they had the expertise to help Leah within the six-hour window to save the tendons, tissue and muscle. Doctors said they operated on Leah's hand less than an hour after she came through the hospital doors. At the hospital, "I was trying to hold myself together," said Leah's dad, Jay Lendel. "I think I was crying more than she was." Tampa General Hospital Dr. Alfred Hess said luckily a shark bite is not jagged, but leaves a clean cut on the wrist that doesn't ruin all the tissue. MORE: How to stay safe from shark attacks this summer First Leah's bone was stabilized and then doctors said they worked on blood flow. Some blood vessels were taken from Leah's leg to help get blood flow back to her hand, the doctors said. Leah will next undergo physical therapy, her doctors said, and eventually the pins in her hand will be removed. "I'm just thankful for everybody," Jay Lendel said. "I'm just very thankful she's alive." Meanwhile, another shark bite was reported on Tuesday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury to the leg and was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue. There were 28 unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Florida recorded the most with 14; South Carolina had two. Just one shark attack in the U.S. last year -- which occurred in Hawaii -- was fatal, ISAF said.
a day ago
- Health
9-year-old girl recounts moment she was bitten by shark while snorkeling in Florida
A 9-year-old girl who was bitten on the hand by a shark in Florida is speaking out about the terrifying moment she was attacked. Leah Lendel was snorkeling near Boca Grande on June 11 when "something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference Thursday alongside her parents and the doctors who treated her. "Then I pick up my hand and it's all in blood," Leah said. "Then I started screaming with my mom." "There was so much blood in the water right next to me," Leah's mom, Nadia Lendel, said at the news conference. "In an instant, I knew it's a shark attack." "I just started to scream to my husband," Nadia Lendel recalled. Meanwhile, Leah's "instincts kicked in" and she ran out of the water, her mom said. "Then my dad was with me," Leah said. "He picked me up and we ran to the road." Leah's parents expressed their gratitude for the construction workers who were eating lunch on the beach and immediately ran to help them call 911 and put Leah's arm in a tourniquet. Leah's dad said EMS then responded within minutes. Tampa General Hospital doctors praised the first responders for choosing to fly the two hours in the helicopter to their hospital where they said they had the expertise to help Leah within the six-hour window to save the tendons, tissue and muscle. Doctors said they operated on Leah's hand less than an hour after she came through the hospital doors. At the hospital, "I was trying to hold myself together," said Leah's dad, Jay Lendel. "I think I was crying more than she was." Tampa General Hospital Dr. Alfred Hess said luckily a shark bite is not jagged, but leaves a clean cut on the wrist that doesn't ruin all the tissue. First Leah's bone was stabilized and then doctors said they worked on blood flow. Some blood vessels were taken from Leah's leg to help get blood flow back to her hand, the doctors said. Leah will next undergo physical therapy, her doctors said, and eventually the pins in her hand will be removed. "I'm just thankful for everybody," Jay Lendel said. "I'm just very thankful she's alive." Meanwhile, another shark bite was reported on Tuesday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury to the leg and was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue. There were 28 unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Florida recorded the most with 14; South Carolina had two.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Girl Has 'Miracle' Surgery After Shark Nearly Bites Off Hand
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. A 10-year-old girl whose hand was almost completely bitten off by a shark has reportedly undergone successful surgery to reattach her limb. Leah Lendel was snorkeling off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, when the horror unfolded on Wednesday. The suspected bull shark attack made headlines around the world, and body-worn footage from an attending police officer caught the moment the child's mother, influencer Nadia Lendel, described seeing "blood everywhere" and her daughter's hand "hanging off" as she raised it for help. The girl was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, the region's only Level I trauma center, and it's believed she was operated on there. Newsweek has reached out by email to Nadia Lendel seeking comment. A bull shark pictured on December 21, 2007, in the Bahamas. A bull shark pictured on December 21, 2007, in the It Matters There had been fears the little girl could be left permanently disabled if surgeons were unable to reattach her hand. The shark attack follows a number of similar incidents in the waters off the U.S. Coast in recent years. A 45-year-old woman and two teenage girls were injured in separate attacks in Florida's Walton County last June, while attacks have also occurred in a number of other states, such as South Carolina. What To Know Police camera footage filmed at the scene last week shows an officer arriving to find Leah Lendel being treated by paramedics as she lies on the sand. "You're being very brave," one tells her. "Very strong." The officer then speaks to the child's mother, who tells him: "The water was probably 4ft deep. And so she just dips in, like, she always snorkels, and she's up and around. And then she flies out and I look over, because I don't know if I heard a yell or what, but she went like that"—the mom began to weep as she mimed lifting her hand from the water—"and I could see her hand hanging. And there's blood everywhere." Nadia Lendel has subsequently shared updates on her Instagram page with her 98,000 followers. She described how the shark bit her daughter's wrist, leaving her hand "hanging on by just the skin." Lendel had been holding her two toddlers in their floaties just a few feet away when her older daughter was attacked, the Gulf Coast News website reported. When the mom realized what had happened, she screamed for help and tried to get her other children to safety. Leah's dad swam to try to help, but Leah managed to make her own way to shore first. Nearby construction crews rushed to her aid, with one making a tourniquet to stop the bleeding as another called 911, according to reports. Leah's father accompanied her on the flight to the hospital, where the surgeons operated on her for six hours. The shark vanished after the attack, and swimmers in the area are advised to remain vigilant. What People Are Saying Mom Nadia Lendel shared an update on Leah's condition to her Instagram page on Friday, although her account's settings have now been switched to "private." Her daughter underwent a lengthy surgery on Wednesday, she said, and was now "able to move all her fingers." She described the outcome as a "miracle" and went on to thank well-wishers for their support and prayers. She later sent a brief message to Gulf Coast News saying: "They had to get arteries from her leg to the hand. Got the blood flow back to her hand. Install pins in bones. Still has open tissues. They will be monitoring her here for a week. But thank God she can move her fingers." What Happens Next The girl's uncle, Max Derinskiy, has set up a GoFundMe donations page, which has so far raised almost $46,000 of its $80,000 goal. "While we are beyond grateful that Leah survived, the journey ahead will be long and full of physical and emotional healing," he said. "The Life Flight alone comes with an overwhelming medical bill, not to mention the ongoing care she will need: possible surgeries, physical therapy, counseling, and more. We are setting up this GoFundMe to help relieve some of the financial burden on her family during this unimaginable time as they do not currently have insurance. Every donation—big or small—will go directly to medical expenses, travel costs for treatment, and anything else Leah needs to recover and feel herself again."
