Photo:Fight Like Addison/Facebook
Fight Like Addison/Facebook
An 18-year-old who lost her leg in a shark attack last June has gone back to the beach — returning to swim at the same exact spot where she wasbitten.
In June 2022, Addison Bethea, then 17, was scalloping with her brother off the coast of Keaton Beach in Florida when she felt something hit her leg. “I knew that with sharks you’re supposed to punch them in the nose to get them off of you,” Bethea previously toldCNN.
Addison’s lower right leg ultimately needed to be amputated due to her extensive injuries. She was hospitalized for weeks, underwent multiple surgeries, and had to learn to walk again with a prosthesis.
But on July 1, Addison was back in the water, swimming with her brother Rhett in the same spot where she was attacked last summer. “I felt completely safe. It felt perfectly normal,” she toldGood Morning America.
“It didn’t make me sad or anything. I didn’t get emotional. It was just like [a] back to just normal kind of thing, hop back into routine,” she added.
Addison toldGMAshe remembered the shark attack vividly, but felt no pain as it occurred.
“When it latched on and pull me under with my calf, I remember that exact moment,” she said. “It felt like someone just pulling you under water, like that scary sensation when someone just touches you in the water. I didn’t feel any pain or anything the entire time it bit me other than when I tried to pry it off with my hands.”
The former cheerleader underwent a whopping six surgeries after finally making it to the hospital in Tallahassee—and toldGMAher goal at that time was to walk on her own at her high school’s homecoming celebration in the fall.
“During homecoming week is when you walk in the fancy dresses down the football field,” she said. “That’s something I’ve always loved doing, and the parade, and I wanted to be able to do that again one last time for senior year.”
Luckily, Addison was able to do just that, returning to school for her senior year just three months after the attack—and walking the homecoming stage with her new prosthesis.
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In May, Addison—who hopes to eventually become a physical therapist—was also able to walk at her senior graduation, per the outlet. She also learned some other very exciting news: She’s expecting her first child with her boyfriend.
“It definitely wasn’t something I planned, but like I’ve said, God works in mysterious ways,” Bethea, who plans to deliver the child at the same hospital where she recovered, toldGMA. “Maybe it’s just time for me to be a mom. I’m very excited.”
“It’s crazy to be bringing a brand new life into [the world] when mine was almost gone,” she added. “It’s kind of crazy how that works.”
source: people.com
