Latest news with #NadiaLendel
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Yahoo
Shark nearly bites off nine-year-old girl's hand in attack off Florida coast
A 9-year-old girl nearly lost her hand after a shark attacked her while she swam just off the coast of Florida recently, according to her family and witnesses. The harrowing attack served up a grim reminder that the Sunshine state is a world leader in unprovoked shark bites against humans – though such cases remain rare and were evidently waning as of late. Leah Lendel was snorkeling near the shore of Boca Grande, Florida, about midday Wednesday with her mother and two siblings – ages one and three – when a shark bit her. Related: Florida man bitten by alligator then fatally shot by deputies after 'rampage', sheriff says On a video captured by a local sheriff's deputy's body-worn camera and published by the National News Desk, the mother, Nadia Lendel, said she realized what had happened when she heard Leah yell. 'I could see her hand hanging … and just blood everywhere,' the woman said on the footage. Nadia Lendel said she frantically tried to get the younger children out of the water while she yelled for help. Construction workers taking a lunch break nearby heard the screaming, ran over, wrapped a towel around Leah's bleeding hand and called emergency responders. Nadia Lendel's husband, Yevgeni, who had been swimming further away from the shore at the time of the bite, then carried Leah to the road to await paramedics. Officials said Leah was flown to a hospital in Tampa, Florida, for treatment. The Lendel family told ABC News in a statement that Leah subsequently underwent a 'long surgery'. On Instagram, where she posts about parenting and has about 98,000 followers, Nadia Lendel later wrote that the surgery was meant to save Leah's wrist and fingers. 'Doctors … were able to get blood flow to her entire hand, and all of her fingers,' Nadia Lendel added. Nadia Lendel then wrote on Friday morning that Leah 'was able to move all of her fingers'. 'This is truly a miracle,' she continued. The deputy who responded to the scene of Leah's shark bite as his body-worn camera was filming video told Nadia Lendel on Wednesday: 'Sounds like you guys did everything right that you could.' The deputy also told the construction workers who aided Leah that they did a 'very good, good job' wrapping a towel around her injury, and he shook hands with each of them Wednesday. One of the men, who identified himself as Raynal Lugo, said the shark which attacked Leah was about 8ft long. There was 'blood all over the place – you could see it in the sand,' Lugo told the deputy. Lugo said he marvelled at how 'brave' Leah was amid her ordeal. 'Not even one tear,' he remarked. At one point, the deputy's video captured a paramedic asking Leah as she was on the ground surrounded by first responders: 'How are you sweetheart? What grade are you in?' The girl calmly answered that she was going into fourth grade. 'I don't know how she's doing this so well,' Nadia Lendel is shown telling the deputy about her daughter at another instance. 'She's just handling it.' The number of bites like that which victimized Leah in 2024 was significantly below average, according to the most recent edition of the Florida Museum of Natural History's international shark attack file. There had been 47 confirmed unprovoked shark bites across the globe last year after an average of 64 annually between 2019 and 2023, said the file, a renowned resource. Twenty-eight of 2024's unprovoked shark attacks were in the US, with 14 – half – registered in Florida. The country with the second-most unprovoked shark bites in 2024, Australia, had five fewer than Florida.
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Girl, 9, recalls moment she ‘picked up hand' & ‘started screaming' in horror shark attack as dad says ‘miracle' happened
Emma Crabtree, Weekend US Editor Published: Invalid Date, THE nine-year-old girl has recalled the moment her hand was almost torn off in a savage shark attack while snorkeling with her mom. Leah Lendel underwent a six-hour surgery to repair her hand that was left "hanging by skin" after she was mauled by an eight-foot shark off Boca Grande beach in Florida on June 11. 9 9 9 9 "Something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference at Tampa General Hospital. While flanked by her parents and doctors, Leah recalled how she and her mom started screaming when they realized what happened. "I didn't see anything. I was just snorkeling," she 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. I start screaming with my mom". Nadia, Leah's mom, told reporters how she thought her daughter had lost a limb, saying "It was really, really bad" and that she didn't think her daughter "was going to have a hand." "It's some sort of miracle that now she has a hand," she added. "There was so much blood in the water right next to me, in an instant I knew it's a shark attack," Nadia said, adding that her daughter's "instincts kicked in". Leah ran out of the water where she was picked up by her dad and taken to the road where people rushed to help. "We [saw] that little girl come out from the water with no hand, it was... like everybody was in shock," eyewitness Alfonso Tello who was on a lunch break at the beach told NBC-affiliate WBBH. Shark attack reported at popular US beach as victim rushed to hospital just weeks after 1,600lb beast spotted in state One horrified beach goer who ran to Leah told CBS-affiliate WINK that her hand "was hanging but this whole thing was completely hanging out. You can see bones all completely red". A frantic 911 call revealed how those nearby wrapped towels around Leah's hand that was "completely destroyed" and put her arm in a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. Within four minutes, responders from the Boca Grande Fire Department were on scene and she was flown two hours to Tampa General. MIRACLE WORKERS Leah's doctors told reporters how there was a six-hour window for them to save her hand from the moment she was mauled by the shark. Statement from Leah Lendel's family following the shark attack Nine-year-old Leah experienced a terrifying and life-altering event. Her family has issued the following statement following the suspected bull shark attack in Boca Grande, Florida: "We want to say Thank You to everyone that is praying for our sweet Leah. "We are thankful for the quick response of everyone that was on scene, the construction workers, residents that ran out to help and the first responders and to all the Doctors/Nurses that are doing everything to help our girl. "Yesterday Leah had an extensive surgery on her hand (wrist & fingers). "The Doctors, were able to get blood flow to her hand and fingers. "She is showing some movement in two fingers but can't feel the rest. "The doctors will be doing another procedure tomorrow to see if there is anything else that needs to be done. "The fact that Leah has all her fingers attached is already a testimony. "From witnessing her wrist hanging on by just the skin, to have blood flow in all of her hand and fingers is truly a miracle. "Please keep praying for our family, our God is a miracle worker." Less than an hour after she arrived at the hospital, she was in surgery where they had to stabilize the bone and take blood vessels from her leg to help restore blood flow to her hand. "I was trying to hold myself together, Leah's dad Jay said. "I think I was crying more than she was." An x-ray of her hand shows how the skin, muscles, and bones in her hand were severed almost all the way across the middle. Doctors called the fact it was a shark bite a "curse and a blessing". 9 9 Their sharp teeth mean the cut was clean and not jagged, meaning there was "good tissue to work with and put back together in a timely fashion," Dr Alfred Hess said. Leah will still need physical therapy and to have the pins in her hand removed but her parents say they are "just thankful for everybody". "I 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." "I'm just very thankful she's alive," Jay added. Leah said could not wait to start "playing with all my siblings" once her wounds healed. Her family launched a GoFundMe page to help with her recovery which has received over $47,700 at the time of writing. This week, another shark attack was reported at a popular US beach and a 12-year-old girl was mauled by a 12ft alligator while playing in shallow water with her friends. 9 9
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
9-year-old Florida girl whose hand was nearly bitten off by shark recalls 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 on a beach off Boca Grande last week. Leah Lendel spoke about that terrifying moment on 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 she didn't think her daughter "was going to have a hand' after seeing the injury. 'It was really, really bad,' Nadia 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,' Hess 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, was 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," Jay 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, Nadia, 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 Dr. 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." This article was originally published on
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
9-year-old girl recounts moment she was bitten by shark while snorkeling
A 9-year-old girl who was bitten on the hand by a shark in Florida is speaking out about the terrifying moment she was attacked. Leah Lendel was snorkeling near Boca Grande on June 11 when "something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference Thursday alongside her parents and the doctors who treated her. "Then I pick up my hand and it's all in blood," Leah said. "Then I started screaming with my mom." MORE: 9-year-old girl nearly loses her hand in shark attack off Florida Gulf Coast "There was so much blood in the water right next to me," Leah's mom, Nadia Lendel, said at the news conference. "In an instant, I knew it's a shark attack." "I just started to scream to my husband," Nadia Lendel recalled. Meanwhile, Leah's "instincts kicked in" and she ran out of the water, her mom said. "Then my dad was with me," Leah said. "He picked me up and we ran to the road." Leah's parents expressed their gratitude for the construction workers who were eating lunch on the beach and immediately ran to help them call 911 and put Leah's arm in a tourniquet. Leah's dad said EMS then responded within minutes. Tampa General Hospital doctors praised the first responders for choosing to fly the two hours in the helicopter to their hospital where they said they had the expertise to help Leah within the six-hour window to save the tendons, tissue and muscle. Doctors said they operated on Leah's hand less than an hour after she came through the hospital doors. At the hospital, "I was trying to hold myself together," said Leah's dad, Jay Lendel. "I think I was crying more than she was." Tampa General Hospital Dr. Alfred Hess said luckily a shark bite is not jagged, but leaves a clean cut on the wrist that doesn't ruin all the tissue. MORE: How to stay safe from shark attacks this summer First Leah's bone was stabilized and then doctors said they worked on blood flow. Some blood vessels were taken from Leah's leg to help get blood flow back to her hand, the doctors said. Leah will next undergo physical therapy, her doctors said, and eventually the pins in her hand will be removed. "I'm just thankful for everybody," Jay Lendel said. "I'm just very thankful she's alive." Meanwhile, another shark bite was reported on Tuesday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury to the leg and was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue. There were 28 unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Florida recorded the most with 14; South Carolina had two. Just one shark attack in the U.S. last year -- which occurred in Hawaii -- was fatal, ISAF said.
19-06-2025
- Health
9-year-old girl recounts moment she was bitten by shark while snorkeling in Florida
A 9-year-old girl who was bitten on the hand by a shark in Florida is speaking out about the terrifying moment she was attacked. Leah Lendel was snorkeling near Boca Grande on June 11 when "something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference Thursday alongside her parents and the doctors who treated her. "Then I pick up my hand and it's all in blood," Leah said. "Then I started screaming with my mom." "There was so much blood in the water right next to me," Leah's mom, Nadia Lendel, said at the news conference. "In an instant, I knew it's a shark attack." "I just started to scream to my husband," Nadia Lendel recalled. Meanwhile, Leah's "instincts kicked in" and she ran out of the water, her mom said. "Then my dad was with me," Leah said. "He picked me up and we ran to the road." Leah's parents expressed their gratitude for the construction workers who were eating lunch on the beach and immediately ran to help them call 911 and put Leah's arm in a tourniquet. Leah's dad said EMS then responded within minutes. Tampa General Hospital doctors praised the first responders for choosing to fly the two hours in the helicopter to their hospital where they said they had the expertise to help Leah within the six-hour window to save the tendons, tissue and muscle. Doctors said they operated on Leah's hand less than an hour after she came through the hospital doors. At the hospital, "I was trying to hold myself together," said Leah's dad, Jay Lendel. "I think I was crying more than she was." Tampa General Hospital Dr. Alfred Hess said luckily a shark bite is not jagged, but leaves a clean cut on the wrist that doesn't ruin all the tissue. First Leah's bone was stabilized and then doctors said they worked on blood flow. Some blood vessels were taken from Leah's leg to help get blood flow back to her hand, the doctors said. Leah will next undergo physical therapy, her doctors said, and eventually the pins in her hand will be removed. "I'm just thankful for everybody," Jay Lendel said. "I'm just very thankful she's alive." Meanwhile, another shark bite was reported on Tuesday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury to the leg and was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue. There were 28 unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Florida recorded the most with 14; South Carolina had two.
