As Australia continues to confront a recent string of shark attacks, an American teenager who lost both a hand and a leg in a violent encounter has turned her pain into a mission aimed at improving beach safety.
Lulu Gribbon was 15 years old when she was attacked on June 7, 2024, while swimming with her mother during a beach trip in Florida.
Speaking on Sunrise on Thursday, Lulu said she recalls almost every detail of the attack, except for the pain itself.
“I just remember raising my arm out of the water, and there was just no hand there, and it was just flesh and bone,” Lulu told Sunrise.
“I remember the shark latching onto my leg, but I could never feel anything, and I was so grateful for that.”
The attack resulted in the loss of her left hand and catastrophic injuries to her right leg, which was later amputated.
Now 17, Lulu has channelled her recovery into action, launching an initiative she hopes will prevent similar incidents.
Her proposal, dubbed “Lulu’s Law,” calls for the introduction of an alert system that would send real-time notifications to beachgoers’ phones when a shark attack occurs in nearby waters.
“Before my shark attack occurred, there was another shark attack before me,” she said.
“The goal is to make the beaches safe and to allow the people on the beach to feel safe.”
In addition to the proposed alert system, Lulu is also establishing the Lulu Strong Foundation, which aims to fund research into prosthetics, emerging technologies and initiatives to improve quality of life for amputees.
Her story comes amid heightened concern in New South Wales, where four shark attacks were reported within a 48-hour period.
Among them was the death of 12-year-old Nico Antic, who was attacked while swimming in Sydney.
Images: Sunrise / 7News
