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Teen, 15, has arm and leg bitten off in horror shark attack - and survives

She was searching for sand dollars with friends at Seacrest Beach when a shark attacked, resulting in the amputation of her arm and leg

[At 14, Lulu Gribbin was attacked by a shark, as she swam off of Florida's Seacrest Beach, losing her left hand and leg]

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Lulu feels lucky to be alive

Lulu Gribbin was an ordinary teenage girl before she was viciously attacked by a shark during what should have been an enjoyable day at the beach with friends.

The teenager was on a fun mother-daughter trip to Florida's Seacrest Beach with friends when the unthinkable occurred.

Their holiday to the Gulf Coast had seen her and her friends swimming and diving, searching for sand dollars, when the shark struck like something from a horror film.

Lulu recalls the moment they were swimming and her friend shouted, "Shark!" She explains that at that point they were all simply swimming for their lives, not really processing what was happening.

However, remembering something she had been taught, the teenager did her best to stay calm, as she had been told sharks typically target things moving frantically in the water. She told People Magazine about the exact moment she realised that may not have been the right decision after all.

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[At 15, Lulu Gribbin was attacked by a shark, as she swam off of Florida's Seacrest Beach, losing her left hand and leg, here she is entering an aeroplane on a hospital bed ]

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She lost two limbs in the attack

"So I calmed down, and then I lifted my arm out of the water, and I could see like the flesh on my arm. And that's when I realised... this was a very real situation," she explained.

The rest of it was a blur, as she lost consciousness in the water. All that she can remember from those terrifying moments was waking up on the shore, in the Florida heat, surrounded by people who were trying to save her life.

Anna Blair, Lulu's devastated mother, had popped out for lunch with the other mums, and as they were heading back, that's when they noticed something wasn't right. The girls weren't responding to their phones, and in a panic, they rushed down to the beach.

When they reached the scene, Blair's other daughter told her, "Mum, it's Lulu."

She said: "I just remember screaming, like I didn't know what else to do. Ellie kind of calmed me down. It was like a scene out of a movie."

[At 15, Lulu Gribbin was attacked by a shark, as she swam off of Florida's Seacrest Beach, losing her left hand and leg]

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She had to learn to use prosthetics instead

Two teenage girls were wounded by the shark and transported to different hospitals.

South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford released a statement explaining one victim had "significant injuries to one upper and one lower extremity, both requiring the application of tourniquets," and the other victim sustained "flesh wounds" to her right foot.

But they weren't the only victims. Just an hour before the teenager's attack, a 45-year-old woman was also swimming in the vicinity and suffered severe bites to her midsection, pelvis and left arm.

Lulu's mother described the moment she saw her daughter lying on the beach, saying: "I didn't know that her hand was bitten off because they had covered it up.

"And then I could see her leg, and like, that was probably the worst part because her leg was gone basically. And it's something that, like, I can see it right now. I will never unsee it."

The journey to the hospital was torturous for LuLu's mother, who spent the entire trip praying that her daughter was still alive.

[At 15, Lulu Gribbin was attacked by a shark, as she swam off of Florida's Seacrest Beach, losing her left hand and leg]

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Her recovery took 77 days

Upon arrival, doctors swiftly decided to amputate Lulu's leg. They knew that even if they attempted to save it, it would inevitably require amputation in the future.

Following this, the 15 year old was transferred to Ortho Carolina's Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs in North Carolina, where she would spend a gruelling 77 days recuperating.

As a teenager, Lulu had to essentially start her life anew, mastering basic tasks with just one arm and one leg.

During rehabilitation, she learned how to dress herself, brush her teeth, use the toilet, and perform all these routine daily activities that she previously took for granted.

"There were so many other patients that were in worse conditions than me and that didn't even have the option to do half the stuff that I was doing," she said.

[At 15, Lulu Gribbin was attacked by a shark, as she swam off of Florida's Seacrest Beach, losing her left hand and leg]

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Lulu was eventually able to turn back to the sports she once loved

"They would do anything in the world to be in my position. So I was just grateful that I had the option to do what they were teaching."

Despite the severe trauma she endured, her positive outlook never wavered, and it was this resilience that propelled her towards a successful recovery and a life with prosthetics.

Learning to navigate with her prosthetics was somewhat of a "mental block" for Lulu, who was now adjusting to life with metal limbs. However, she managed to receive prosthetics sooner than anticipated, and certainly earlier than most individuals in her situation.

"My situation is an anomaly. Most people get prosthetics a very long time after they are amputated," Lulu revealed. Her mother chimed in: "She walked out of the hospital, which is extremely unheard of."

The teenager has since returned to that very beach, where a shark attack forever altered her life.

She said: "I just laid in the sand like how I was laying in the sand when all the paramedics were over me. That was very emotional."

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