A 9-year-old Bradenton girl who nearly lost her hand in a shark attack off Boca Grande last week spoke about the terrifying experience for the first time Thursday at Tampa General Hospital (TGH). “I didn’t see anything — I was snorkeling and went up to breathe,” Leah Lendel recalled. “Something hard bit me and tried to take me away." Leah's mom, Nadia Lendel, described what she saw when she looked over at her daughter in the water. “I saw the flap of the arm, and it was almost completely gone in that second,” she said. “There was so much blood in the water next to me. In that instant, I knew it was a shark attack.” People at the beach quickly rushed to Leah's aid, wrapping her hand in a towel to stop the bleeding until paramedics arrived and airlifted her to TGH. “I was trying to hold myself together. I think I was crying more than she was,” Leah’s father shared. At the hospital, doctors worked tirelessly for hours to save Leah’s hand. They focused on restoring blood flow and preventing further damage. “Thankfully, we were able to get everything closed,” the surgeon involved in Leah’s care said. “When you hear ‘shark bite,’ you think a lot might be missing. We were very lucky in this situation.” Leah was released from the ICU on Wednesday, exactly one week after the shark attack. Still, she faces a long and challenging road ahead, including therapy and ongoing medical care. And despite the trauma, Leah isn’t letting this experience turn her away from the water. When asked about her future, she smiled and said, “After I’m healed, I’m looking forward to playing with all my siblings.” Her family is simply grateful she is alive and surrounded by love.