Boy who lost part of his leg after Florida Keys shark attack vows to get back in the water
MIAMI - A brave young boy who survived a shark attack in the Florida Keys is talking about the terrifying ordeal after doctors had to amputate part of his right leg to save his life.
From his hospital bed, 11-year-old Jameson Reeder Jr. says despite what happened, he'll be back in the water.
"I don't want to think as Looe Key as my worst nightmare or this hospital, so I want to go back there, and I feel like everything is going to be better. I won't have any more nightmares except for this," said Reeder Jr.
He was on vacation with his family in the Keys in August when he was attacked by a massive bull shark.
Reeder Jr. was rushed to shore where he was met by emergency crews including Lieutenant David Millan with Monroe County Fire Rescue.
"I've never in my short ten, eleven years have seen a shark bite this intense and this severe," said Millan.
As he was treated, the boy remained calm despite his devastating injuries.
"He was talking normally, he wasn't screaming, he wasn't crying, he was calm, I've seen patients with less (severe) injuries be more dramatic," said Millan.
Reeder Jr. was then taken by helicopter to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami.
His doctors said that while trying to salvage his limb, it became clear just how damaging his injuries were.
The bite was life-threatening due to blood loss, and his leg was amputated below the knee.
As for what's next, doctors are hoping to fit him with a below-knee prosthesis, something Reeder Jr. is excited about.
"I am going to be fine. I am going to get a prosthetic leg a cool one," Reeder Jr. said.
Just days before Reeder Jr. was attacked, a 13-year-old was bitten in the face by a shark while swimming off the Florida Keys.