Authorities in Florida closed beaches Friday after a series of shark attacks in Walton County. Three people were injured, including two Mountain Brook teens.
The mother of one of those teens, Lulu Gribbin, shared the story online. She said she, Lulu and her twin sister, Ellie, arrived at the beach Wednesday as part of a trip with friends.
“It was our first mother-daughter beach trip, and we were all incredibly excited,” said Ann Blair Gribbin. “Our first two days were amazing on the beach being with friends and going to dinners.”
However, things took a turn for the worse on Friday when the group took a walk on the beach.
“After lunch, we were walking back on the beach to the girls and everyone on the beach was standing looking out into the water,” she remembered. “No one was in the water and all we heard was there was a shark and we started to look as well.”
Gribbin said things started to get tense after one mother called for her daughters and couldn’t find them.
Lulu later told her parents she was in waist-high water with six friends, looking for sand dollars, when the shark attacked. She said a man pulled her out of the water, and another boy helped carry her to the beach. Other beachgoers helped apply tourniquets.
Meanwhile, her mom had no idea what was about to unfold. The incident would change their lives forever.
“The beach was packed with people just looking,” Gribbin said. “I came upon a group of people surrounding someone on the ground and looked down and it was Lulu who was there. Ellie found me and said, ‘Mom, it's Lulu.”
Gribbin said her daughter was lifeless and pale. She said the damage left behind by the shark was horrific. EMTs quickly responded and airlifted the teen to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
After an hour and 20-minute ride by a friend and multiple prayers for survival, Gribbin finally reached the hospital, where Lulu was already in surgery. Lulu had lost her left hand in the shark attack, and her right leg had to be amputated.
Her mom said her first words after surgery were, “I made it.” She also said Lulu was more worried about her friends than herself.
She will likely undergo several more surgeries, but Gribbin said she is thankful her daughter is alive.
“At this point, we will have multiple surgeries in the days to come and our lives will be forever changed,” said Gribbin. “Lulu is strong, beautiful, brave and so many more things I can't count. God has a plan for her, and we will be there to support her every way we can.”
Ultimately, Lulu and her mother believe God showed up right on time.
“I know this was a terrible accident, but God was there and had the people there who helped save her life,” Gribbin added. “Lulu said she felt God in the back of the beach truck. She is truly a miracle.”
The family is also asking for prayers for themselves so that they will know how to encourage Lulu throughout the recovery process.
The third victim, 45-year-old Elisabeth Foley of Virginia, was swimming past the sandbar when she was attacked. She lost her lower left arm.
"She is a faithful believer of Jesus as her Lord & Savior, and a true blessing to everyone she encounters," her church family wrote. "She is a devoted wife and mother of three wonderful children."
Foley also had injuries to her midsection.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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