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(NewsNation) — A Florida man has described how a surfboard leash helped save his life after he was bitten by a shark while surfing at New Smyrna Beach.
Matthew Bender joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” to discuss the July 6 attack that has left him without feeling in the back of his hand.
Despite his wound, a full recovery is possible — a remarkable reality given his forearm was in a shark’s mouth over the holiday weekend.
“Feeling so blessed to have my life, my arm, the use of my hand, and potentially, a full recovery,” Bender said.
“It could be totally inconsequential,” he said of the injuries. “Aside from some scars, I just feel super grateful. Thank you, Lord.”
Bender was paddling out for a third wave at New Smyrna Beach, which is known as the shark bite capital of the world, when he felt a “very hard” and forceful bite.
“It shook its head,” he said of the shark. “By the time I looked down, it was gone, and all I saw was red.
“I knew I was bitten by a shark even before I looked down. I went into business mode, like, ‘got to get back to the beach.'”
He rode a wave to shore, and a 16-year-old surfer and her father rushed over to help and called 911.
“I was putting my arm over my head … I was trying to keep the arteries from gushing,” Bender said while adding that part of his forearm had “no skin on it.”
He realized he could use the 16-year-old’s surfboard leash as a tourniquet, and his friends helped wrap it around his arm.
“That really did stop the bleeding,” he said. “Good to wear a leash, [unlike] me.”
Bender said a prayer before he paddled out, asking God to keep him safe throughout his surf.
“He did keep me safe overall, and I feel like through this whole thing, he is being glorified, because it’s just a miracle that I don’t have any pain in my arm.”