A Prosthetic leg is being used by a 17-yearold girl, three months after her leg was amputated in a shark attack.
Addison Bethea, who was searching for scallops off the coast Florida, came across a 10-foot bull shark while she was on her right foot.
Rhett, her older brother, was a firefighter and was there to help her.
“I was in shock,”Addison stated. “I tried to punch it off of me, trying to punch it in its nose, cause that’s what you’re supposed to do when you fight a shark.”
Her brother tied a tourniquet to her leg back on the boat. Addison credits that with saving her own life.
During surgery, her right leg had to be amputated just above her knee, but that hasn’t kept her spirit down. She began her journey in a wheelchair. Then she moved to crutches, and eventually climbed stairs.
Inside Edition had exclusive access to Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates in Orlando, where Addison received a brand new leg. The prosthetic is approximately $75,000.
In no time at all, the courageous teen was back on her feet. Stan Patterson, Stan Patterson’s clinic founder, is astonished at her natural gait.
“It’s very unusual. She’s an overachiever,”Patterson stated.
Her parents were overwhelmed by emotion.
“She’s amazing. From the moment she started waking up in the hospital, she’s just kind of astounded everyone,”Her mom stated it.
By the day’s end, Addison walked out of therapy on her own — each step a little closer towards a new life.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for Addison’s recovery and on-going medical costs.