North Texas woman survives shark attack, shares inspiring recovery journey
CELINA – A Celina couple is back home after they were attacked by a shark off the Texas coast on July 4. The wife, Tabitha Sullivent, lost a majority of her left calf in the attack and nearly lost her life.
"The bull shark that attacked me was going up and down the beach and was probably about as big as my couch," Sullivent told CBS News Texas.
The shark bit off most of her left calf. Her husband, Cary, rushed into the water and was also bitten slightly by the shark. Sullivent lost almost 75% of her blood, but a group of strangers on the beach had tourniquets on hand to keep the bleeding at bay until emergency crews arrived.
"I saw how bad it was and how white she was, and I thought I just lost my wife," Cary said. "I wouldn't be here if all the people on the beach weren't there and got in the water to save me," Sullivent said.
Sullivent was rushed to the ER and had to undergo multiple surgeries. Doctors used skin grafts from her thigh and fish skin to heal her leg.
"Because I lost my calf, I don't have feeling in my ankle. The bottom of my foot is all numb too; I can't feel that," she said.
Sullivent has been posting her recovery journey on social media, hoping to share her story of strength with people across the country. She is still in contact with a few of the beachgoers who saved her, calling them not only friends but her guardian angels.
"I think it was the help of people on the beach and the help of the higher power and God – I'm still here today – and we're still fighting and we're telling our story. We're telling our story for a reason," she said.
Sullivent admitted that the future is unknown, but doctors say it's a miracle she is walking. She dreams of one day being able to hike, run, and even swim in the ocean again (maybe not the Gulf though).
For now, Sullivent is happy to be home, taking things day by day and one step at a time.
"God was there with me. We're not on this journey by ourselves," she said. "So, I have a lot more of a story to tell. I just hope I might be an inspiration to somebody else who's having a really tough time and their journey and that they're going through, they can get through it like I am."
On the day of her attack, there were no shark warnings from the beach. When she is healed, she plans to work with the city of South Padre to have better alerts in place to prevent more shark attacks.