Mountain Brook teen who lost hand and leg in rare Florida shark attacks: 'I did it'

The mother of a Mountain Brook teenager who lost a hand and leg in a rare series of shark attacks along a Florida beach Friday afternoon posted an update on the state of health of his daughter and the details of the dramatic incident.

Lulu Gribbin was one of two teenagers injured in one of two shark attacks within 90 minutes on about four miles of beach in Walton County.

The other teen, McCray Faust, suffered minor injuries, according to previous reports. There was no immediate update on his condition Sunday.

A 45-year-old woman lost her foot in an attack about an hour and a half before the attack on the two Mountain Brook girls. HCA Florida Hospital Fort Walton-Destin told WJHG TV Saturday that the woman is now in stable condition.

A vigil was held for Mountain Brook teens at St. Luke's Episcopal Church Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, authorities in Florida's Walton County patrolled the coastline and urged beachgoers to use caution when in the water following the attack.

“Lifeguards display yellow and purple flags to signal moderate wave hazards and the presence of dangerous marine life,” the fire district posted.

Gribbin's mother, Ann Blair Gribbin, provided details about the attack and her daughter's condition on the Caring Bridge website on Sunday.

She said Lulu and her twin sister, Ellie, went to the beach with some of their friends and their mother on Wednesday.

“It was our first mother-daughter beach trip and we were all incredibly excited. Our first two days were great on the beach, with friends and dinners,” Gribbin posted.

Friday afternoon, “we were walking back down the beach to the girls and everyone on the beach was looking at the water. No one was in the water and all we heard was that there was a shark and we started looking too,” the post continues.

“My friend called her two daughters and they weren't answering so she started panicking and said there was something wrong and she started running and that's what we all said do.

“The beach was full of people watching. I came across a group of people surrounding someone on the ground and I looked down and it was Lulu who was there. Ellie found me and told me that Mom was Lulu. I saw his leg injuries and started screaming.

“She was lifeless, her eyes closed, her mouth white and pale. The injury to his leg, or whatever was left of his leg, was something out of a movie. I finally came back to her and held her hand and she saw me and I told her I was there,” Lulu’s mother wrote.

“His eyes were open. I had no idea how long she had been there or what had happened. Almost immediately the beach truck was there and the paramedics loaded her onto a board, put her back in the truck and took her away, she was airlifted,” the post states.

Gribbin learned her daughter had been taken to Sacred Heart in Pensacola, which she said was an hour and 20 minute drive away.

“We prayed all the way. My friend who was driving was a gift from God to me and Ellie and knew exactly what to pray. All I could say over and over was please be alive, please breathe. No one we called could give us any information,” she posted.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Lulu was already in surgery.

“They answered my prayer that she was alive and her vital signs were good,” she wrote.

Surgeons told the family the shark tore off Lulu's left hand and they had to amputate her right leg halfway up, from the knee to the hip.

“She had also lost 2/3 of the blood in her body. Of course no one wants that for your child but she's alive. They also told us that Lulu might be intubated for about a week and would need 4-5 surgeries to finalize her amputations,” the post said.

Lulu did not have surgery Saturday as planned and her vital signs improved, Gribbin wrote.

“She did so well that they ended up taking the tube out of her throat and she was breathing on her own. It was a first big step. Once installed, her first words were: “I did it.” And boy did she do it,” the post continued.

Her mother said Lulu remembered being with friends on a sandbar in waist-deep water, looking for sand dollars.

“I don't know who noticed the shark first, but Lulu said it bit her hand, then her leg, then went to her other friend and grabbed her foot. Lulu said a man grabbed her other arm and pulled her out and another younger boy helped him carry her to shore,” the post said.

“Once on the shore, there were two doctors and two other young women including a nurse who surrounded Lulu. These individuals applied tourniquets to Lulus' wounds. Which I believe was crucial to saving Lulu’s life,” Gribbin wrote.

“I am forever grateful to the 3 surgeons and all the nurses and doctors here at this hospital who saved Lulu. I am grateful to the doctors and nurses on the beach that day. I am grateful to the paramedics on the beach and the crew in the air. I'm grateful to the person who pulled her out of the water.

Lulu faces numerous surgeries “and our lives will be changed forever,” her mother said.

“Lulu is strong, beautiful, brave and many other things I can't count. God has a plan for her, and we will be there to support her in any way we can.

Lulu, her mother writes, “is afraid of not fitting in and that people will make fun of her. I need prayers for everyone to be understanding and show grace. I also need prayers that Lulu knows that her hand and leg do not define who she is… Sweet Lulu is more worried about her friends than she is herself, which is a testament to his character.

During Sunday's prayer service, community members came out in droves to support and pray for the teens and their families.

The church was packed, filling every pew and room with overflow as candles were lit in honor of Lulu and McCray. Sounds of prayer and singing filled the church throughout the service.

The Church also ensured that counselors were available for anyone facing the aftermath of the attack.

“This broader community supports you,” Rev. Richmond Webster told the families.

It was unclear whether a shark was responsible for both attacks or what type of shark attacked all three.

“All I can say is that these incidents are very rare,” Demian Chapman, scientist and director of the Shark Research Center at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Fla., said Saturday. Associated Press.

There are more sharks in the Gulf of Mexico than in previous years, Chapman said.

“There has definitely been a recovery of sharks in the Gulf after many years of overfishing,” he said. “They’re kind of back out there after being a little worn out.”

“It’s even rarer to have two events in one day involving three people,” he said. “It’s an astronomically low probability that this will happen.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.