11-Year-Old Boy Says He's 'Happy to Be Alive' After Losing Part of His Leg Due to Bull Shark Attack

An 11-year-old whose leg was amputated below the knee after abull shark attackis on the road to recovery — and hopes to return to the ocean.

The boy, who celebrated his 11th birthday during his weeks-long stay in the hospital and is now using a wheelchair, told the outlet in an exclusive interview that although he’s “very sad that my foot is gone” he’s “happy to be alive.”

“He’s stronger than I could ever be after that,” said his mom, Mary Reeder.

Recalling the moment of the attack, his mom toldGMAthat while Jameson was “off to the side of the boat” he began screaming and waving his arms in the air for help. “I didn’t see anything in the water I just saw him there screaming at me to get to him,” she said.

“We shouldn’t have our son,” he added. “He should not be alive through what he’s gone through and the fact that he is is just a reminder of how short life is and how fragile life is.”

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Looking to the future, the young boy shared his hopes of getting a prosthetic and returning to the water. “I want to get back in the ocean,” he toldGMA.

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According to theInternational Shark Attack File, a total of 137 shark-human interactions were 2021 recorded worldwide in 2021. ISAF also confirmed 73 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 39 provoked bites.

Among the 73, more than half (47) of them occurred in the United States, which has the most documented unprovoked bites in the world.

source: people.com