9-year-old girl flown to hospital after being bitten by shark in Florida
A nine-year-old girl was seriously injured after an encounter with a shark off the Florida coast while on vacation with her family.
Leah Lendel was snorkelling with her family in Boca Grande when she was bitten by a shark, estimated by witnesses to be about eight feet long.
According to a statement from Lendel's family to Gulf Coast News, Leah went underwater to snorkel and as she came up, she began to scream. Her mother, Nadia, said she noticed that Leah's right hand up to the wrist was covered in blood and mostly torn off.
Nadia said she began to scream for help and nearby construction workers rushed over and helped wrap Leah's hand in a towel.
A local construction worker named Alfonso Tello told Today that he heard Lendel's screams coming from the beach.
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'I was thinking that they were playing around but they were screaming, 'Help, help!' and that's when we get up there and we see the little girl crying. Everybody was in shock,' Tello told the outlet.
'When we saw the little girl coming out of the water with no hand, it was like something out of a … it gets me like … everybody was in shock.'
The Boca Grande Fire Department, the Lee County Sheriff's Department and emergency services in Boca Grande responded to a call about a potential shark bite on Wednesday.
In a video shared to Facebook, Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser said crews found a person with injuries 'that appeared to be consistent with a shark bite.'
'The person was treated and transported to a landing zone and airlifted to, we think, Tampa General Hospital for the person's injuries,' he said. 'The person was in the water at the time the bite occurred with other family members and they were able to get her out of the water and up to the road.'
Blosser added that this incident was the first shark bite on the island in 'about 20 years.'
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Lendel's mother shared an update on Instagram on Thursday and said that surgeons were able to put her daughter's hand back together.
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'Update on Our sweet Leah. Yesterday she had a very long surgery to save her hand (her wrists and fingers). Praise God Almighty for the Doctors, they were able to get blood flow to her entire hand and all of her fingers,' she wrote.
Lendel added that the doctors had to 'put pins to put all her bones together and take arteries from her leg to put in her hand.'
'From what I saw and the way her hand was hanging on by a thread i thought she would lose her hand for good but our God is a miracle maker,' she added.
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An update about Leah Lendel's injuries, shared by her mother on Instagram. Miss.Lendel / Instagram
One of Lendel's relatives, Max Derinskiy, has set up a GoFundMe page to help support the family after the 'life-altering event.'
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'While playing in the water with her siblings, she was bitten on her hand by a shark and had to be rushed to the hospital by Life Flight. We're thankful to Jesus for the quick response of emergency crews and the skill of the medical team, she is now stable and going through surgery – fighting hard for her road to recovery,' Derinskiy wrote.
He added that while the family is 'beyond grateful' that Lendel survived, 'the journey ahead will be long and full of physical and emotional healing.'
'The Life Flight alone comes with an overwhelming medical bill, not to mention the ongoing care she will need: possible surgeries, physical therapy, counseling, and more,' Derinskiy added.
Derinskiy said the GoFundMe will help to 'relieve some of the financial burden on her family during this unimaginable time as they do not currently have insurance.'
'Every donation —big or small—will go directly to medical expenses, travel costs for treatment, and anything else Leah needs to recover and feel herself again,' Derinskiy wrote.
The GoFundMe post has raised more than US$26,400 of its goal of $80,000 from 167 donations as of Thursday afternoon.
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A similar situation took place in February when a Canadian tourist was seriously injured when she was bitten while trying to 'engage' with a shark in Turks and Caicos.
The family of the tourist spoke out about the horrifying moment that 'completely altered' the woman's life after she 'attempted to engage with the animal from the shallows in an attempt to take photographs' on Friday, Feb. 7.
The victim's brother-in-law, Al Chevarie, said that while they were in 'only hip deep clear water,' a 'seven-foot bull shark came at my sister-in-law and bumped into her legs.'
He said the shark came back again and 'when she put both hands in front of her to protect herself, the shark cut off both of her hands, one at the mid forearm and the other at the wrist.'
Chevarie said his sister-in-law was taken to a local hospital for initial treatment 'but had to be flown back to Canada by air ambulance to undergo further surgery and recovery.'
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Global News
a day ago
- Global News
9-year-old girl flown to hospital after being bitten by shark in Florida
A nine-year-old girl was seriously injured after an encounter with a shark off the Florida coast while on vacation with her family. Leah Lendel was snorkelling with her family in Boca Grande when she was bitten by a shark, estimated by witnesses to be about eight feet long. According to a statement from Lendel's family to Gulf Coast News, Leah went underwater to snorkel and as she came up, she began to scream. Her mother, Nadia, said she noticed that Leah's right hand up to the wrist was covered in blood and mostly torn off. Nadia said she began to scream for help and nearby construction workers rushed over and helped wrap Leah's hand in a towel. A local construction worker named Alfonso Tello told Today that he heard Lendel's screams coming from the beach. Story continues below advertisement 'I was thinking that they were playing around but they were screaming, 'Help, help!' and that's when we get up there and we see the little girl crying. Everybody was in shock,' Tello told the outlet. 'When we saw the little girl coming out of the water with no hand, it was like something out of a … it gets me like … everybody was in shock.' The Boca Grande Fire Department, the Lee County Sheriff's Department and emergency services in Boca Grande responded to a call about a potential shark bite on Wednesday. In a video shared to Facebook, Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser said crews found a person with injuries 'that appeared to be consistent with a shark bite.' 'The person was treated and transported to a landing zone and airlifted to, we think, Tampa General Hospital for the person's injuries,' he said. 'The person was in the water at the time the bite occurred with other family members and they were able to get her out of the water and up to the road.' Blosser added that this incident was the first shark bite on the island in 'about 20 years.' Story continues below advertisement Lendel's mother shared an update on Instagram on Thursday and said that surgeons were able to put her daughter's hand back together. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Update on Our sweet Leah. Yesterday she had a very long surgery to save her hand (her wrists and fingers). Praise God Almighty for the Doctors, they were able to get blood flow to her entire hand and all of her fingers,' she wrote. Lendel added that the doctors had to 'put pins to put all her bones together and take arteries from her leg to put in her hand.' 'From what I saw and the way her hand was hanging on by a thread i thought she would lose her hand for good but our God is a miracle maker,' she added. View image in full screen An update about Leah Lendel's injuries, shared by her mother on Instagram. / Instagram One of Lendel's relatives, Max Derinskiy, has set up a GoFundMe page to help support the family after the 'life-altering event.' Story continues below advertisement 'While playing in the water with her siblings, she was bitten on her hand by a shark and had to be rushed to the hospital by Life Flight. We're thankful to Jesus for the quick response of emergency crews and the skill of the medical team, she is now stable and going through surgery – fighting hard for her road to recovery,' Derinskiy wrote. He added that while the family is 'beyond grateful' that Lendel survived, 'the journey ahead will be long and full of physical and emotional healing.' 'The Life Flight alone comes with an overwhelming medical bill, not to mention the ongoing care she will need: possible surgeries, physical therapy, counseling, and more,' Derinskiy added. Derinskiy said the GoFundMe will help to 'relieve some of the financial burden on her family during this unimaginable time as they do not currently have insurance.' 'Every donation —big or small—will go directly to medical expenses, travel costs for treatment, and anything else Leah needs to recover and feel herself again,' Derinskiy wrote. The GoFundMe post has raised more than US$26,400 of its goal of $80,000 from 167 donations as of Thursday afternoon. Story continues below advertisement A similar situation took place in February when a Canadian tourist was seriously injured when she was bitten while trying to 'engage' with a shark in Turks and Caicos. The family of the tourist spoke out about the horrifying moment that 'completely altered' the woman's life after she 'attempted to engage with the animal from the shallows in an attempt to take photographs' on Friday, Feb. 7. The victim's brother-in-law, Al Chevarie, said that while they were in 'only hip deep clear water,' a 'seven-foot bull shark came at my sister-in-law and bumped into her legs.' He said the shark came back again and 'when she put both hands in front of her to protect herself, the shark cut off both of her hands, one at the mid forearm and the other at the wrist.' Chevarie said his sister-in-law was taken to a local hospital for initial treatment 'but had to be flown back to Canada by air ambulance to undergo further surgery and recovery.'
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FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements and information contained in this press release and the documents referred to herein may constitute "forward‐looking statements" and "forward‐looking information," respectively, under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward‐looking information can be identified by the use of forward‐looking terminology such as, "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intends", "forecast", "plans", "guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward‐looking statements or information. The forward‐looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect the current expectations of management of Filament regarding future results or events and are based on information currently available to them. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing these forward‐looking statements. Forward‐looking statements regarding the Company are based on the Company's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of Filament to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward‐looking statements or forward‐looking information, including the timing and results of clinical trials, the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court and shareholders approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the proposed business combination; other expectations and assumptions concerning the transactions contemplated in the proposed business combination; the available funds of the parties and the anticipated use of such funds; the availability of financing opportunities; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the psychedelic drug development industry; risks associated with economic conditions, dependence on management and currency risk; risks relating to U.S. regulatory landscape; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws and regulation; other governmental and environmental regulation; public opinion and perception of the psychedelic drug development industry; risks related to the economy generally; risk of litigation; conflicts of interest; risks relating to certain remedies being limited and the difficulty of enforcement of judgments and effect service outside of Canada; and risks related to future acquisitions or dispositions. 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Takeaways from AP's report on the business interests of Trump's surgeon general pick
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Still, experts said her business entanglements raise concerns about conflicting interests for an aspiring surgeon general, a role responsible for giving Americans the best scientific information on how to improve their health. Here are some takeaways from the AP's reporting. Growing an audience, and selling products Means, 37, earned her medical degree from Stanford University, but she dropped out of her residency program in 2018, and her license to practice is inactive. She said she saw firsthand how 'broken and exploitative the healthcare system is' and turned to alternative approaches to address what she has described as widespread metabolic dysfunction driven largely by poor nutrition and an overabundance of ultra-processed foods. She co-founded Levels, a nutrition, sleep and exercise-tracking app that can also give users insights from blood tests and continuous glucose monitors. The company charges $199 per year for an app subscription and an additional $184 per month for glucose monitors. Though scientists debate whether continuous glucose monitors are beneficial for people without diabetes, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted their use as a precursor to making certain weight-loss drugs available to patients. With more than 825,000 followers on Instagram and a newsletter that she has said reached 200,000 subscribers, Means has a direct line to an audience interested in health, nutrition and wellness. Many companies, including Amazon, have affiliate marketing programs in which people with substantial social media followings can sign up to receive a percentage of sales or some other benefit when someone clicks through and buys a product using a special individualized link or code shared by the influencer. Means has used such links to promote various products sold on Amazon. Among them are books, including the one she co-wrote, 'Good Energy'; beauty products; cardamom-flavored dental floss; organic jojoba oil; sunglasses; a sleep mask; a silk pillowcase; fitness and sleep trackers; protein powder and supplements. She also has shared links to products sold by other companies that included 'affiliate' or 'partner' coding. The products include an AI-powered sleep system and the prepared food company Daily Harvest, for which she curated a 'metabolic health collection.' On a 'My Faves' page that was taken down from her website shortly after Trump picked her, Means wrote that some links 'are affiliate links and I make a small percentage if you buy something after clicking them.' It's not clear how much money Means has earned from her affiliate marketing, partnerships and other agreements. Daily Harvest did not return messages seeking comment, and Means said she could not comment on the record during the confirmation process. Disclosing conflicts Influencers who endorse products in exchange for something of value are required by the the Federal Trade Commission to disclose it every time. But most consumers still don't realize that a personality recommending a product might make money if people click through and buy, said University of Minnesota professor Christopher Terry. While Means did disclose some relationships like newsletter sponsors, the AP found she wasn't consistent. For example, a 'Clean Personal & Home Care Product Recommendations' guide she links to from her website contains two dozen affiliate or partner links and no disclosure that she could profit from any sales. Means has said she invested in Function Health, which provides subscription-based lab testing for $500 annually. Of the more than a dozen online posts the AP found in which Means mentioned Function Health, more than half did not disclose she had any affiliation with the company. Though the 'About' page on her website discloses the affiliation, that's not enough, experts said. She is required to disclose any material connection she has to a company any time she promotes it. Representatives for Function Health did not return messages seeking comment. While the disclosure requirements are rarely enforced by the FTC, Means should have been informing her readers of any connections regardless of whether she was violating any laws, said Olivier Sylvain, a Fordham Law School professor, previously a senior advisor to the FTC chair. 'What you want in a surgeon general, presumably, is someone who you trust to talk about tobacco, about social media, about caffeinated alcoholic beverages, things that present problems in public health,' Sylvain said, adding, 'Should there be any doubt about claims you make about products?' Potential conflicts pose new ethical questions Past surgeons general have faced questions about their financial entanglements, prompting them to divest from certain stocks or recuse themselves from matters involving their business relationships for a period of time. Means hasn't yet gone through a Senate confirmation hearing and has not yet announced the ethical commitments she will make for the role. Emily Hund, author of 'The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media,' said as influencer marketing becomes more common, it is raising more ethical questions — like what past influencers who enter government should do to avoid the appearance of a conflict. 'This is like a learning moment in the evolution of our democracy,' Hund said. 'Is this a runaway train that we just have to get on and ride, or is this something that we want to go differently?' ___ Swenson reported from New York.
