{"id":16326,"date":"2022-12-02T09:28:11","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T14:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=16326"},"modified":"2025-07-01T10:28:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T14:28:53","slug":"a-brother-in-florida-saved-his-sister-from-a-shark-attack-now-her-family-leans-on-god-as-she-recovers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2022\/12\/a-brother-in-florida-saved-his-sister-from-a-shark-attack-now-her-family-leans-on-god-as-she-recovers","title":{"rendered":"A Brother in Florida Saved His Sister From a Shark Attack, Now Her Family Leans on God as She Recovers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fight Like Addison\/Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Addison Bethea’s world was turned upside down in late June 2022 when she was bitten by a shark while searching for scallops near Keaton Beach, Florida. At the time, Addison was a cheerleader and a tennis player. At 17, she was also relatively young to experience an accident and crisis of this magnitude.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0CNN<\/a>\u00a0that she couldn\u2019t quite accomplish that. But she hit it in the face and poked at its eyes in an attempt to escape.<\/p>\n

Addison\u2019s brother, Rhett Willingham, swam nearby when he heard his sister in distress. He quickly came to Addison\u2019s aid, 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.<\/p>\n

Of her brother, Addison said, \u201cHe\u2019s 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.\u201d That\u2019s a wonderful brother-sister relationship!<\/p>\n

Addison\u2019s injuries to her upper right leg were severe, resulting in the loss of her four quadricep muscles. Doctors determined that the best course of action was to amputate Addison\u2019s leg just above her knee and use muscles from the lower part of her leg to repair and restore the use of the remaining upper leg.<\/p>\n