Brother Jumped in to Free Sister from Shark, Now Family Leans on God As She Fights to Recover

17-year-old Addison Bethea had her world turned upside down in late June when she was bitten by a shark while searching for scallops near Keaton Beach, Florida. 

Addison is a cheerleader and a tennis player. And she’s also quite young to experience an accident and crisis of this magnitude. However, Miss Addison Bethea has a positive attitude and abundant faith, and she will be just fine! 

Day At The Beach Turns Terrifying

A native of Florida, Addison knew that if attacked by a shark, her best defense was to punch the fish in the nose. She explained to CNN that she couldn’t quite accomplish that. But she did hit it in the face and poke at its eyes in an attempt to escape. 

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Addison’s brother, Rhett Willingham, swam nearby when he heard his sister in distress. He quickly came to Addison’s aide, getting the shark off of her, putting her into a boat that had come upon the situation, and wrapping her bleeding leg in a tourniquet. Addison was airlifted to a hospital, but the care she received from Rhett, who is a firefighter and EMT, might very well have saved her life!

Of her brother, Addison said, "He's always been kind of like a hero to me. I knew once I was in trouble, he said he would get me out. He promised. So I expected nothing less." That’s a wonderful brother-sister relationship!

Addison’s injuries to her upper right leg were extremely serious, resulting in the loss of her four quadricep muscles. Doctors determined that the best course of action was to amputate Addison’s leg just above her knee and use muscles from the lower part of her leg to repair and restore use of the remaining upper leg. 

WATCH: Shark Attack Survivor Addison Bethea Speaks Out

Thankfully, surgery was a success, and Addison is doing well in her recovery. She has relied on her sense of humor and her faith to get her through the initial hurdles, and she will continue to do so throughout the extensive rehabilitation. 

Michelle Murphy, Addison’s mother, said, "God blessed us by allowing Addison to live and we will never lose focus on that gift." 

Addison’s journey of healing has been shared on Facebook, and there is a GoFundMe page established for those that might wish to help the family with Addison's medical expenses. 

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This Florida teen is a fighter, facing this challenge with grit and grace! Something tells us that Miss Addison Bethea will be doing many brave things during her life, and we can’t wait for the world to see what they are!  

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalms 28:7

WATCH: Addison Bethea Takes Her First Steps

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h/t: People

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Fight Like Addison

Hally is a freelance writer, blogger, and mental health advocate. A former school counselor, Hally works for a nonprofit that distributes tax dollars to mental health and prevention education providers that serve her county's kids and families. She's a contributor to a devotional and two essay collectives, and she shares resources and wisdom regarding parenting teens, mental health, faith, adoption, and more at https://www.hallyjwells.com where she strives to "Dig Deep and Reach High." She and her husband have three adult children and one rascally beagle pup. Hally loves travel, her book club sisters, personality tests, and a great glass of iced tea.