BRAVE FACE
A TEENAGE girl who lost her leg and several fingers in a horrific shark attack last month smiled this week as she left hospital.
Paige Winter, 17, walked out of hospital in Greenville, North Carolina, on Wednesday with the help of a prosthetic leg and walking frame.
12
12
12
Surgeons were forced to amputate her left leg above the knee and conduct multiple surgeries to repair her hands after she was savaged by a bull shark while swimming on June 2.
She had been bathing in the waters of Fort Macon State Park when the predator struck.
It was only after Paige's hero dad Charlie came to her rescue and punched the beast five times on the nose that it released her and swam off.
The bite left "deep lacerations to her leg, pelvic and hand areas".
Paige, who nearly died from her injuries, was photographed beaming as she was greeted by friends and family at the restaurant where she used to work after being released from Vidant Medical Center.
She leaned on a walking aid and had a prosthetic leg fitted and bandages wrapped around both hands.
My body was in shock. So I couldn't feel anything, I just knew it was bad.
Paige Winter
The brave teen said she managed to stay positive despite the trauma and her injuries thanks to the support she received from loved ones.
Paige told WTDV: "I'm not going to say that it was worth it, but I am going to say that I am beyond happy and this is like almost surreal to be here with everybody again.
"It fuels me, you know? It makes me more positive and upbeat and it moves me forward in my healing."
Just two weeks after the attack in an interview with Good Morning America, she described the moment the shark bit her.
At first she thought she was being pranked by her brother or sister when she felt a tugging on her swimwear.
It was only when she felt a "snapping" sensation that the reality of the situation set in.
Paige recalled: "I'm like, 'Is this, like, a snapping turtle? Like, what's happening?
"Then it just starts. Like a dog when they get a rope and you grab the other rope and they just start going with their whole body.
I was hitting it, and I hit it with everything I could and it let go.
Charlie Winter, Paige's Dad
"I remember giving up for a second, and then I just start like laying.
"And then I was like: 'No wait a minute, I can't do that. Like, that's not an option."
She courageously battled the shark and tried to pry its jaws and razor sharp teeth off her - but it was too strong.
She added: "My body was in shock. So I couldn't feel anything, I just knew it was bad."
He father Charlie, a former marine and firefighter, launched himself into the water and followed a trail of blood as she was dragged further out to sea.
He eventually came face to and started repeatedly punching it on the nose.
Charlie said at a press conference: "She was underwater. I grabbed her with my left arm and I pulled her up over the water.
"When I pulled her up, a shark came up with her and it was a big shark. I immediately started to hit it.
most read in world news
"It could have been 10, it could have been three. I don't know I wasn't keeping track.
"But I know I was hitting it, and I hit it with everything I could and it let go."
Despite her injuries, Paige said she is committed to protecting sharks and marine wildlife. She has since spoken out against "shark finning".
12
12
12
12
12
12
Paige Winter loses leg in horror shark attack and is saved only when hero dad punches beast on the nose in North Carolina
12
12
12
Tourist, 65, killed by shark while swimming near Hawaii beach
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.