A 10-year-old boy from Colorado was on a family vacation in early March in Cancun, Mexico, when he was attacked by a shark. Fortunately, Dillon Armijo's brother and several other bystanders intervened to get him out of the water, according to Good Morning America. After spending four days in the hospital in Mexico, Dillion was airlifted to Colorado where he underwent four surgeries, the news program reported.
Shark attacks are reportedly rare. The World Animal Foundation recorded 73 unprovoked shark bites or attacks in the United States in 2021.
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The boy said it felt like a 'sharp bump.'
Dillon was playing in knee-high water with his brother at the beach when he was bitten by the shark, per Good Morning America. “It just felt like a bump, like a really sharp bump … just like a big wave that hit me. And I just didn't see anything. I just saw the blood," Dillon said.
Dillon's mother, Abby Armijo, described hearing her son scream in that moment. "I heard him scream first. That moment is the most overwhelming thing I've ever experienced in my life," she told the news program.
The boy's brother and several other bystanders intervened.
Thankfully Dillon’s brother, mother, and a lifeguard were nearby to quickly spring into action after the shark attack.
"My brother dragged me onto the sand. They put me on a chair and the tourniquet on my leg," Dillon said. He was rushed to a hospital where he remained for the next four days before being airlifted back to Colorado, according to Good Morning America.
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His injuries were extensive.
After undergoing four surgeries, Dillon is home recovering with his family, but his injuries from the shark attack were substantial.
"All of the tendons on both sides of his knee were gone. A lot of nerve damage in his feet. So he's no longer able to lift his foot," said Zach Armijo, Dillon's dad, according to Good Morning America. "He'll have a drop foot, but he will be able to run and jump and play soccer like normal in time, so that's the best we can hope for."
Dillon's mom attributed his care and recovery to a great medical team. “I think that was what has given him such a great outcome is being back here at home with some fantastic doctors," Abby Armijo said, according to the New York Post.
Friends of the family started a GoFundMe account to help with the boy's recovery and medical expenses.
Kari Flauding, a mother of two boys and one of Dillon's best friends, posted on the fundraising page that Dillon has "many hours of physical therapy ahead of him where the doctors and his family are hopeful he will be able to walk again."
Dillon's mother posted an update to the page on April 2.
"Dillon has been upgraded to a new brace that allows for a minimal amount of movement, and his wounds are healing very well. Although it will be some time until he can return to school, we're optimistic that he'll be able to make that big step in the coming weeks," she wrote.
More than $21,000 has been raised so far. “It’s nice to know that there’s so many people here to help us out," Abby shared, according to the New York Post.
