Woman speaks out after having calf torn off & ‘bone exposed' in Fourth of July shark attack that injured heroic husband
Tabatha Sullivent was one of four people injured in a shark attack on South Padre Island off the southern coast of Texas when something approached her.
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"All I saw was something gray in the water, so I just kicked at it because I thought 'Oh my God, it's a huge fish,'" she told Valley Central.
On July 4, 2024, Sullivent was on a trip with family and friends celebrating a birthday, a graduation, an engagement, and an anniversary.
However, a simple trip to the beach nearly turned into tragedy after Sullivent was injured in a shark attack.
Sullivent kicked at the shark when it suddenly attacked and bit off a majority of her left calf.
Cellphone footage showed Sullivent bleeding heavily after she was pulled from the water with her left calf missing.
She was rushed to a hospital but had to be flown to another facility due to the extent of her injuries.
But the journey had only just begun as Sullivent faced several procedures, fought an infection, and underwent a skin graft.
Last August, she shared an update on social media, revealing how it was taking one of her first steps since the attack
"What I lost isn't coming back, and I think that's the hardest part for me right now. Is…just knowing my leg isn't gonna…doesn't grow back," she wrote.
Sullivent told the outlet that she spent a month recovering in McAllen, Texas, before being transferred to her home near Dallas.
"I had a bone exposed that I had to get another skin graft done on that one, so I did that one at Baylor in Dallas," she said.
Sullivent's goal was to walk at her daughter's wedding, just four months after the attack.
"I walked down the aisle, and I was dancing unassisted, so it was amazing it was great," she said.
Sullivent's husband was also injured in the attack after he tried to rescue his wife.
Now, the couple is going on vacation again, but they're steering clear of the beach.
"Get a nice little tan going, and stay off the beach and out of the water, we do have the pool so that we can do that," Sullivent explained.
Her whole family has gone to counseling since the attack, and Sullivent has begun seeing a therapist on her own.
She is working through her trauma to hopefully get back to some of her favorite hobbies.
"I want to go on the boat, I want to go snorkeling, I want to get in the water. I notice now if I see snorkeling adventures or deeper water, I'm not sure I could get in it," she said.
"I think it would be really hard for me. And I would probably just panic and not know what was around me."
However, the journey isn't over, as Sullivent explained she will have to undergo another plastic surgery soon and is experiencing nerve pain.
She plans on getting cosmetic surgery on her leg for aesthetic purposes and to better protect her nearly exposed bone.
Still, Sullivent said she's doing her best to remember the things she can do.
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