9-year-old Florida girl whose hand was nearly bitten off by a shark recalls the 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 off a Boca Grande beach last week.

Leah Lendel spoke about that terrifying moment 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 that after seeing the injury, she didn’t think her daughter “was going to have a hand.”

“It was really, really bad,” Lendel 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,” he 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, 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,” he 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 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 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.”