It started as a perfect beach day. Then came the scream.
Nine-year-old Leah Lendel is being hailed as a miracle after surviving a vicious shark attack off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, just feet away from her mother and siblings.
Leah had been snorkeling with her influencer mom, Nadia Lendel, and her younger brothers on June 11 when horror struck. In a split second, an eight-foot bull shark clamped down on her right hand, severing it nearly completely. But thanks to quick action from bystanders and heroic efforts by doctors, Leah is alive and already moving her fingers.
Aftermath Caught on Camera: A Family’s Worst Nightmare Unfolds on Florida Beach
Newly released bodycam footage shows the chaos that followed the attack. In the video, a shell-shocked Nadia tries to explain what happened as emergency crews arrive.
“She flies out and I look over… and I could see her hand hanging, like a piece,” Nadia tells officers, trembling. “There was blood everywhere.”
Leah had emerged from the water screaming, her small hand shredded by the shark. Nadia, who had been snorkeling just four feet away, rushed to gather her other children as her husband swam back from deeper waters.
Beachgoers Alfonso Tello and Raynel Lugo were on lunch break nearby when they heard the cries. Without hesitation, they ran into the surf.
“When we saw that little girl come out of the water with no hand… it was like something out of a nightmare,” Tello said.
“You’re Very Brave”: Saving Leah
Construction workers jumped into action. One called 911. Another used a towel to make a tourniquet. Paramedics arrived quickly, stabilizing Leah and prepping her for an emergency airlift to a Tampa trauma center, more than 100 miles away.
“You’re very brave,” one medic is heard telling her in the footage, as she lay bleeding on the sand.
A Long Surgery — and a Real-Life Miracle
Doctors at the trauma center worked for hours to reattach Leah’s hand. Using arteries from her leg, they were able to restore blood flow to her fingers and insert metal pins into her bones.
“Thank God she can move her fingers,” Nadia shared on Instagram.
“They’ll monitor her for a week. There’s still open tissue. But she’s stable.”
Her uncle, Max Derinsky, confirmed the extent of the operation:
“The doctors were able to do some miracles… but it’s going to be a long recovery.”
A Famous Mom’s Tearful Update
Nadia Lendel, a mommy influencer with nearly 100,000 followers, has shared emotional updates with fans, describing the horror and the hope that followed.
“I’m just happy she’s alive,” she told police through tears.
“I didn’t know which baby to grab first.”
On Friday, she revealed that Leah was now able to move all her fingers, calling it nothing short of a miracle.
GoFundMe Launched for Recovery
The family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover Leah’s medical bills, which are expected to include additional surgeries, physical therapy, and trauma counseling.
“We’re thankful to Jesus for the quick response of emergency crews and the skill of the medical team,” the campaign reads.
“She is stable and fighting hard.”
As of Friday morning, the fundraiser had already topped $34,000.
The Road Ahead
Leah faces a long journey of healing, both physically and emotionally. But her bravery has already inspired thousands. From the bloody surf of Boca Grande to a hospital room in Tampa, one thing is clear:
Leah Lendel didn’t just survive. She fought.
