A young girl has opened up after a terrifying shark encounter nearly cost her a hand.
In June 2025, Leah Lendel was snorkelling with her family off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, when she was attacked by an eight-foot bull shark.
Leah was nine at the time, and the bite left her hand close to being completely severed. Surgeons were ultimately able to reattach it.
After the attack, she was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital and spent hours in surgery.
Reports at the time said the rapid airlift and immediate treatment were critical. She was reportedly in the operating room within an hour of arriving — and without that speed, she may have lost her hand entirely.
Even so, the incident hasn’t kept Leah away from the water. She has returned to the area where it happened and has already been back in the ocean.
Her mother, Nadia Lendel, has described her as:
‘fearless’.
Nadia said the family often goes back to that beach because Leah asks to, explaining to CBS News:
“We come out here often, per her request. We just sit and remember what happened, but also it was such a great outcome for her. She’s alive.”
Leah is now close to fully recovered and continues working with a therapist to rebuild strength and mobility in her hand and wrist.
Speaking about what she still can’t do, Leah said:
“I can’t really play piano now,” Leah, now 10 years old, said. “And I can’t pick up more than eight pounds. But me and my therapist are working for me to get my wrist strength back.”
She also shared her advice for others after what happened:
“I would recommend not swimming in murky water.”
Leah also pointed out that shark attacks on people are:
‘really rare’
Data backs that up. The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File reviewed 105 reported shark-human incidents worldwide last year, concluding that 65 were unprovoked. Another 29 were classified as provoked, meaning a person initiated contact or interaction in some way.
The museum also notes that the chance of being bitten is:
‘extremely low’.
In a separate statement, it added:
“The total number of unprovoked shark bites worldwide remains extremely low,” it stated.