Hello everyone! Buckle up for an incredible tale of heroism, luck, and quick thinking that recently unfolded on a beach in Florida.
A teenage girl bitten by a shark owes her life to the presence of some highly skilled beachgoers who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Dr. Ryan Forbess and his friend Dr. Mohammed Ali, along with a group of EMTs and nurses, were enjoying a family day at the beach along the Florida panhandle. Suddenly, a shark attacked a young girl not far from where they were boogie boarding with their children.
Dr. Forbess recounted the moment to WBRC: “My friend Dr. Ali and I vacation together yearly at 30 Rosemary Beach. I was boogie boarding with my son, who was boarding with his daughter. Then, all of a sudden, we heard a lot of commotion to the left of us while we were in the water.”
Both doctors immediately left the water but turned back when they saw blood. Instinct kicked in, and they sprang into action. “They pulled the girl out onto the beach, and then we were able to start working on getting the blood stopped, and we were able to get tourniquets to secure her airway,” Forbess explained. “She was going in and out of consciousness. She was up talking, but she was in and out.”
As they tended to the teenager, other medical professionals on the beach rushed over to help. Dr. Ali, an interventional radiologist, managed to find and stop the bleeding until first responders arrived. The girl, identified as 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin, was airlifted to a hospital. Despite losing her left hand and having her right leg amputated, Lulu survived and is currently recovering from her life-threatening injuries.
“I made it.”
These were Lulu Gribbin’s first words to her mom when she woke up in the hospital after a shark attack Friday in Florida
15 year old Lulu is recovering at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola after losing her left hand, part of her right leg, & 2/3 of her blood… pic.twitter.com/LQD1qbwdgL
— Bobby Ellison (@BobbyEllisonKY) June 12, 2024
Lulu’s hometown of Mountain Brook, Alabama, has rallied to support her as she continues her recovery journey. She was one of three shark attack victims that same week along a four-mile stretch of beaches in Walton County, Florida. Another teenager suffered a flesh wound to her foot, and a 45-year-old woman had significant trauma to her stomach, resulting in the amputation of her left arm. She remains in critical condition.
For his heroic actions, Dr. Forbess was honored by Orange Beach’s mayor, Tony Kennon, who called him “truly our local hero.” The certificate of recognition praised Dr. Forbess, Dr. Ali, and the other medical professionals for their swift and life-saving actions.
Days after losing her left hand & right leg in a shark attack, Mountain Brook, AL’s Lulu Gribbin is visited by Dr. Ryan Forbess @ a Pensacola hospital.
Dr. Forbess, Dr. Moh Ali were at Seacrest Beach & helped saved Lulu’s life.
*Pic posted w permission from Lulu’s mom Ann Blair pic.twitter.com/X9STSusPiu
— Rick Karle (@RickKarle) June 12, 2024
“Whereas, while on his annual family vacation at Rosemary Beach, Florida, Dr. Forbess and his best friend Dr. Mohammed Ali were in the Gulf of Mexico with their children on Friday, June 7th, when nearby a teenage girl suffered life-threatening injuries from a shark attack,” the honor reads. “Whereas, seeing the severity of the situation, both doctors as well as other medical professionals on vacation, including an EMT and ER nurse, sprang into action and put their expertise to work to save the young woman’s life…”
