HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — A Huntersville boy who survived a shark attack that cost him part of his right leg shared his story with Good Morning America Wednesday, three years after the incident.
In August 2022, Jameson Reeder Jr. was attacked by a 9-foot bull shark while snorkeling in the Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area in the Florida Keys.
He was holding a GoPro camera and capturing footage of a turtle just moments before the attack. In the new video, the camera dropped to the ocean floor, capturing the shark’s fin as it bit the lower part of his leg.
“Once it started shaking me, it yanked my head back,” the boy recalled about the attack.
Jameson’s father, Jameson Reeder Sr., emphasized the family’s message of hope and healing, saying, “The message is there is hope and healing.”
Nearly three years after the attack, the Reeder family has shared their story in a new book titled “Rescue at the Reef.”
They first spoke with ABC News just weeks after the incident.
Jameson Jr., now 13 years old, has undergone six surgeries and uses a prosthetic leg.
“He blows our mind every day,” his mother, Mary Reeder, said. “It’s been almost three years. He gets up every day and puts that leg on like nothing.”
Jameson Jr. has faced his fears by returning to the reef where the attack happened.
“I was a little scared before I jumped in, but I knew I had the Lord, and so I popped up and I just had a lot of fun,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Jameson continues to enjoy sports like baseball and surfing.
“It’s like I was born again,” he said. “I had to learn how to walk, run, jump, and all that stuff.”
He says he is working towards returning to pitching in baseball.
VIDEO: Huntersville boy who lost part of leg in shark attack opens up on Good Morning America
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