Miami – What promised to be a day of recreation in the crystalline waters of the Gulf of America became a nightmare for a family. On Wednesday, a new -year -old girl was attacked by a shark while practicing snorkeling north Myers, Florida
The child was in the water with her mother, Nadia Lendel, and her two younger brothers, when she emerged shouting desperately. According to the testimony of the family, the little girl raised the right arm bathed in blood, with her hand hanging practically detached.
Anguish, chaos and heroism
Aid orders were heard by a group of construction workers who had lunch nearby. Alfonso Tello, one of them, narrated in a voice still shocked: “We thought it was a game, until we listened to the screams and saw the girl without her hand. It was shocking.”
Raynel Lugo, another witness, said the shark – which described about eight feet long and that they presumed was a Toro Shark – still swam around the child when they tried to rescue her. “He followed us as we ran to the water to help her,” he said.
With what they had at hand, the workers improvised a torniquete with t -shirts and managed to partially stop the bleeding, while waiting for the emergency teams.
Air transfer and high -risk surgery
Shortly after the call to 911, the Boca Grande Fire Department, in Lee County, confirmed that it was a “possible shark bite” and organized the girl’s air transfer to the general tampa hospital.
There, a trauma medical team and reconstructive surgery worked for six intense hours to try to save the girl’s hand.
The intervention included the graft of arteries extracted from its leg and the placement of metal nails in the bones to stabilize the limb. According to their mother, the surgeons managed to restore the complete blood flow, an advance that increases the possibility of leah recovering functionality.
“Thank God and doctors, they were able to restore the flow to their entire hand and all their fingers,” Nadia wrote in an emotional publication on social networks.
First signs of hope
Despite the devastating attack, the specialists indicated that the child already shows partial mobility in two of its fingers, a promising sign in its long rehabilitation process. The recovery will include new surgical interventions, physiotherapy and psychological support, doctors said.
The attack has generated commotion in the community and revived the conversation about the risks on the beaches of Florida, a state that accumulates the largest number of shark attacks in the United States.
An exceptional case
According to data from the Marina Conservation Department, Florida represents approximately one third of all attacks not caused by sharks in the world. However, Boca Grande firefighters, CW Blosser III, confirmed that this is the first incident of this type in the area in at least two decades.
In 2024, there were 28 confirmed attacks in the United States, half of them in Florida. Statistics show that Volusia County has been the most affected historically.
Solidarity against adversity
Without medical insurance, the Lendel family now faces an overwhelming economic burden. To cover the treatment costs – which includes the emergency medical flight, future surgeries, therapies and emotional support – have launched a fundraising campaign that has already exceeded $ 34,000 of a $ 80,000 target.
“It is a situation that changed our lives,” said Max Derinskiy, uncle of the child, who asked the community to keep the girl in her prayers and respect the privacy of the family while facing this hard stage.
The case of this girl not only highlights vulnerability to the force of nature, but also the strength of human compassion and the importance of rapid and specialized medical care.
