North Carolina Mother Loses Part of Arm in Shark Attack While Snorkeling in the Bahamas

By Carlo Rodriguez, Christian Post Contributor

It's frightening how a fun holiday trip can turn into a nightmare in an instant.

Tiffany Johnson was on the last leg of a Caribbean cruise with her husband last week when they decided to go snorkeling, not knowing that her life will be changed forever. What was supposed to be a fun holiday activity for the couple quickly turned for the worst when a shark attack left her without a right arm.

According to the North Carolina native and mother of three, she was snorkeling in a nearby reef in the Bahamas when she felt something "bump" into her. "I wasn't in pain and it just felt like I had bumped into something, so I just casually turned to my right to look." The 32-year-old said in an interview with WSOC. She was immediately face to face with the shark, which already had her entire arm inside its mouth. "I kept trying to yank my hand back and the last time I yanked, he had cut it clean off so I was able to actually get free."

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Her husband, James, was in a nearby boat when the attack happened. According to him, he heard someone screaming and when he turned to look, the water was red with blood. He immediately jumped into the water to help his wife.

Doctors were able to save her life; however, the same couldn't be said about her right arm, which was cut off just below the elbow. It is believed that a tiger shark is responsible for the attack. Tiger sharks are often regarded as some of the most dangerous shark species to humans owing to their curious and aggressive nature. It is second only to the great white shark in terms of the number of fatal shark bite incidents.

Johnson is up for another surgery this week in order to prepare her for a prosthetic arm. She says she is thankful to still be alive. When interviewed by Sarah-Blake Morgan of WBTV, she went on to say "who cares about a limb? It's just a limb and I'm here."

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