ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida teen girl whose leg was amputated after a shark attack last week took her first steps post amputation at a hospital Thursday.
Addison Bethea, 17, of Perry, hopped along with one leg and a walker down a hall of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare as nurses and staff cheered her on, according to a post by the hospital.
“The surgeons and the medical staff can’t get enough praise from us for the wonderful care of our baby girl. We are so thankful that she ended up here at TMH,” said Addison’s father Shane Bethea on a GoFundMe page for the family’s medical bills.
On June 30, Addison was scalloping with her brother, Rhett Willingham, in Keaton Beach — Taylor County — when a shark pulled her underwater. The shark was estimated to be about 9 feet long and attacked Addison several times before departing. The attack left the teen with massive damage to her upper right leg, causing Addison to lose her quadriceps, according to TMH.
Addison, a former cheerleader and tennis player, was able to survive thanks to the quick actions of her brother, a firefighter EMT, and several local boaters, who tied a tourniquet to control the bleeding until Addison was taken to TMH, according to the GoFundMe page.
After an initial surgery to restore blood flow to Addison’s leg by rebuilding the blood vessels, surgeons were forced to amputate Addison’s leg on Tuesday due to the nature of her injury.
Despite the loss of her leg, Addison has been rallying to regain her life by making quick progress in learning to walk with a walker.
The family has also received incredible community support with Leon County Sheriff’s Office stopping by to encourage Addison, a motorcycle rally and concert in Perry in Addison’s honor as well as large monetary support. Addison’s GoFundMe page had an original goal of $40,000. After a week, the page has collected over $55,000 and has a new goal of $100,000.
“We have had so many messages from parents of other amputees and it reassures us we will have people to turn to when we have questions,” said Addison’s mother, Michelle, of Satellite Beach, in a Facebook post on the Fight Like Addison page. “God blessed us by allowing Addison to live and we will never lose focus on that gift.”
