After Lulu was attacked that day, another swimmer scooped her up. Lulu blacked out. When she woke up, she was lying on the sand. Her sister and a group of strangers surrounded her. They tried to block Lulu from the sight of her mangled right leg. But it was too late. Through the crowd, she could see her foot and the pink polish on her toes. 

    Lulu was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Pensacola, Florida. There doctors decided to amputate nearly all of her right leg. Afterward, Lulu fought waves of panic from her hospital bed. “I struggled with the way I looked,” she admits.

    At the same time, a tube in her throat was helping her breathe. It made it impossible to speak with the family members gathered in her room. She also felt burning pain coming from where her leg had been amputated.

    However, her spirits were lifted by visits from the hospital’s therapy dog, Sherlock. Guided by his trainer, Sherlock would snuggle with Lulu right in her bed. “He came into my room a few times a day,” she says. “That was the best part of my recovery.” 

    After Lulu was attacked, another swimmer scooped her up. Lulu blacked out. When she woke up, she was lying on the sand. Her sister and a group of strangers surrounded her. They tried to block Lulu from the sight of her mangled right leg. But it was too late. Through the crowd, she could see her foot and the pink polish on her toes.

    Lulu was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Pensacola, Florida. There doctors decided to amputate most of her right leg. Afterward, Lulu fought waves of panic from her hospital bed. “I struggled with the way I looked,” she says.

    A tube in her throat was helping her breathe. It made it impossible to speak with the family members gathered in her room. She also felt pain coming from where her leg had been amputated.

    However, her spirits were lifted by visits from the hospital’s therapy dog, Sherlock. Guided by his trainer, Sherlock would snuggle with Lulu in her bed. “He came into my room a few times a day,” she says. “That was the best part of my recovery.”

    After Lulu was attacked that day, another swimmer scooped her up. Lulu blacked out. When she woke up, she was lying on the sand. Her sister and a group of strangers surrounded her. They tried to block Lulu from the sight of her mangled right leg, but it was too late. Through the crowd, she could see her foot and the pink polish on her toes.

    Lulu was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Pensacola, Florida. There doctors decided to amputate nearly all of her right leg. Afterward, Lulu fought waves of panic from her hospital bed. “I struggled with the way I looked,” she admits.

    At the same time, a tube in her throat was helping her breathe. It made it impossible to speak with the family members gathered in her room. She also felt burning pain coming from where her leg had been amputated.

    However, her spirits were lifted by visits from the hospital’s therapy dog, Sherlock. Guided by his trainer, Sherlock would snuggle with Lulu right in her bed. “He came into my room a few times a day,” she says. “That was the best part of my recovery.”

    Five days after the attack, Lulu was moved to a hospital in North Carolina. That’s where reality set in. She had seven more surgeries. Doctors operated on her injured left arm and cleaned the bacteria out of her wounds. 

    As she lay in her hospital bed, Lulu couldn’t help but think about her favorite activities. “I used to play volleyball and basketball,” she says. “That was really what my life revolved around. I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to do those things again.”

    Five days after the attack, Lulu was moved to a hospital in North Carolina. That’s where reality set in. She had seven more surgeries. Doctors operated on her injured left arm. They cleaned the bacteria out of her wounds.

    Lulu thought about her favorite activities. “I used to play volleyball and basketball,” she says. “That was really what my life revolved around. I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to do those things again.”

    Five days after the attack, Lulu was moved to a hospital in North Carolina. That’s where reality set in. She underwent seven more surgeries. Doctors operated on her injured left arm and cleaned the bacteria out of her wounds.

    As she lay in her hospital bed, Lulu couldn’t help but think about her favorite activities. “I used to play volleyball and basketball,” she says. “That was really what my life revolved around. I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to do those things again.”

    About two months after the accident, Lulu was fitted for a leg prosthesis. (A prosthesis is an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body.) That summer, she did physical therapy several times each day. The physical therapy exercises built up her strength. She also had to relearn basic tasks, like walking and brushing her teeth.

    Lulu also got the chance to try a brand-new program aimed at reducing her pain. It had two steps. First Lulu would have surgery. Then she would use a virtual reality (VR) headset to help her phantom limb pain (PLP). PLP is something that many amputees experience. Patients often feel electric shocks, cramps, or other pain coming from their missing limb. 

    How did it work? In Lulu’s VR headset, there were games. These games taught Lulu how to control the pain. “They tricked my brain into thinking that I actually did have a left hand,” she says.  

    The program was a success. Lulu had been feeling level 10 pain—the most pain imaginable—near her missing limbs. But by the time she finally left the hospital, that pain was a level 1. 

    About two months after the accident, Lulu was fitted for a leg prosthesis. (A prosthesis is an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body.) That summer, she did physical therapy several times each day. The physical therapy exercises built up her strength. She also had to relearn basic tasks, like walking and brushing her teeth.

    Lulu also tried a new program aimed at reducing pain. It had two steps. First Lulu had surgery. Then she used a virtual reality (VR) headset to help her phantom limb pain (PLP). Many amputees experience PLP. They often feel electric shocks, cramps, or other pain coming from their missing limb.

    How did it work? In Lulu’s VR headset, there were games. These games taught Lulu how to control the pain. “They tricked my brain into thinking that I actually did have a left hand,” she says.

    The program worked. Lulu had been feeling level 10 pain—the most pain imaginable—near her missing limbs. When she left the hospital, that pain was a level 1.

    About two months after the accident, Lulu was fitted for a leg prosthesis. (A prosthesis is an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body.) That summer, she did physical therapy exercises several times each day to build up her strength. She also had to relearn how to do basic tasks, like walking and brushing her teeth.

    In addition, Lulu was offered an opportunity to try a brand-new program aimed at reducing her pain. It had two steps. First Lulu would undergo surgery. Then she would use a virtual reality (VR) headset to help her phantom limb pain (PLP). PLP is something that many amputees experience. Patients often feel electric shocks, cramps, or other pain coming from their missing limb.

    How did it work? In Lulu’s VR headset, there were games that taught her how to control the pain. “They tricked my brain into thinking that I actually did have a left hand,” she says.

    The program was a success. Lulu had been feeling level 10 pain—the most intense pain imaginable—near her missing limbs. But by the time she finally left the hospital, that pain was a level 1.

    Today Lulu’s life as a high school senior feels wonderfully normal. Last year, she got her first car. (It has left foot pedals to allow her to drive.) Now she’s thinking about college. “I’ve always wanted to study medicine,” she says. “But I also like business ever since creating my foundation.”

    Perhaps most astonishing is that she still loves the beach—and doesn’t blame sharks for what happened to her. “I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of them or impressed by them,” she says. “I think they’re just animals.”

    If there’s one word that sums up Lulu’s journey, it’s resilience. She somehow took the worst moment of her life and turned it into a higher purpose. “When you go through a hardship, there are two paths you can take: You can live in the grief, or you can rise above it,” she says. “It was so important to me to come out stronger than I came in.” 

    Lulu is now a high school senior. Last year, she got her first car. (It has left foot pedals to allow her to drive.) Now she’s thinking about college. “I’ve always wanted to study medicine,” she says. “But I also like business ever since creating my foundation.”

    She still loves the beach and doesn’t blame sharks for what happened to her. “I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of them or impressed by them,” she says. “I think they’re just animals.”

    If one word sums up Lulu’s journey, it’s resilience. She turned the worst moment of her life into a higher purpose. “When you go through a hardship, there are two paths you can take: You can live in the grief, or you can rise above it,” she says. “It was so important to me to come out stronger than I came in.” 

    Today Lulu’s life as a high school senior feels wonderfully normal. Last year, she got her first car, which is equipped with left foot pedals to allow her to drive. Now she’s thinking about college. “I’ve always wanted to study medicine,” she says. “But I also like business ever since creating my foundation.”

    Perhaps most astonishing of all is that she still loves the beach—and doesn’t feel any resentment toward sharks for what happened to her. “I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of them or impressed by them,” she says. “I think they’re just animals.”

    If there’s one word that sums up Lulu’s remarkable journey, it’s resilience. She somehow took the most traumatic experience of her life and transformed it into a higher purpose.

    “When you go through a hardship, there are two paths you can take: You can live in the grief, or you can rise above it,” Lulu says. “It was so important to me to come out stronger than I came in.”