Shark Attack Survivor Kiersten Yow Faces 'Long Road to Recovery,' But Expected to Keep Leg
Kiersten Yow is also expected to keep her leg, her parents said today.
— -- The 12-year-old girl who was recently attacked by a shark in North Carolina is expected to "keep her leg" though she still has a "long road to recovery," her parents said in a statement Tuesday.
Kiersten Yow, identified by her parents, was bitten two times in the attack this past Sunday. Authorities said that she lost the portion of her arm below the elbow and could also lose her left leg due to injuries.
Yow was rushed to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington and was transferred to N.C. Children’s Hospital at UNC Monday, where she remains in stable condition, her parents Brian Yow and Laurie Yow said in a joint statement.
"She has a long road to recovery that will include surgeries and rehabilitation, but her doctors at UNC expect she will keep her leg, and for that we are grateful," they said.
"We want to thank the good Samaritans and emergency responders whose clear heads and quick actions saved Kiersten’s life. We also thank her extraordinary doctors and nurses in Wilmington and Chapel Hill."
The two added that the attack has been "an extraordinarily traumatic event" for the entire family and that they need "time and space to come to terms with what has happened and to help Kiersten recover."
Beachgoer Marie Hildreth, who happened to be a paramedic, helped the girl by using strings from a boogie board, she told Good Morning America today.
“I ... stopped the hemorrhaging from two of the limbs and then I basically just kind of stabilized her, got an IV from somebody in the crowd, got her some fluids and waited for fire and EMS to show up,” Hildreth said.