In June 2022, Addison Bethea was looking forward to her senior year of high school. She was enjoying her summer vacation and went scalloping with her family off the coast of northwest Florida when she was attacked by a shark. She would end up losing her right leg as a result and her life would be forever changed.
On July 1. 2023, Addison returned to the scene of the attack and got back into the water. This inspiring young lady shared her healing journey with Good Morning America. She wants to continue to educate people about the ocean and about living as an amputee. Even though she went through a scary ordeal, she continues to find the light and joy in the world, including expecting her first child.
Addison was not nervous to get back into the ocean. "I felt completely safe. It felt perfectly normal," she explained. "It didn't make me sad or anything. I didn't get emotional. It was just like back to just normal kind of thing, hop back into routine." Her brother, Rhett Willingham, was right by her side, just like he was when she got attacked.
Addison remembers every detail from that fateful day. Rhett, a firefighter and EMT, helped her fight off the 9-foot creature. He got her into a good Samaritan's boat. She was ultimately airlifted to a hospital in Tallahassee which was 80 miles northwest from where the attack took place.
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"When it latched on and pull me under with my calf, I remember that exact moment," Addison explained. "It felt like someone just pulling you under water, like that scary sensation when someone just touches you in the water. I didn't feel any pain or anything the entire time it bit me other than when I tried to pry it off with my hands."
Addison attempted to get the shark off of her by herself. She knew to poke its eyes and punch its nose. When that did not work, she screamed. "My brother was the one that heard me scream … and when he turned around, I was actually pulled under the water by the shark," she said. "I came back up and I was screaming for him."
Once in the hospital, Addison underwent six surgeries. Her right thigh had to be completely reconstructed. Her right leg was amputated above the knee. She credits her dad with helping her keep her positive mindset. "What my dad used to tell me in the hospital [was], 'Today is going to be a good day,'" Addison recalled. "Even if it's not a perfect day, just find one good thing out of your day to keep you going … just be grateful."
Addison set a lofty goal of walking by herself by the homecoming dance. She was able to accomplish this and was even voted to be on the homecoming court. “I was able to do it," she stated. "I walked on the field with my prosthetic perfectly normal, without crutches or anything." She credits her athletic lifestyle before the attack with helping her accomplish this.
Addison is still able to do the things she loves, with modifications and support from her family. "If I'm wanting to go on a four-wheeler or something, we'll do that and they'll make sure I'm OK. Or if we're going on the boat, they'll make sure everything is good … They'll carry me up the stairs," Addison explained. "'I'm still doing the stuff I used to do, it's just little slower and it's a learning process, but I still do it my own ways." Addison even walked on her own for her high school graduation this May.
Addison’s next adventures include college and motherhood. She discovered she was pregnant a couple week after her graduation. "It definitely wasn't something I planned, but like I've said, God works in mysterious ways," she stated. "Maybe it's just time for me to be a mom. I'm very excited.”
She will deliver at the same hospital where she recovered from her shark attack. "It's crazy to be bringing a brand new life into [the world] when mine was almost gone. It's kind of crazy how that works,” she mused.
Inspired by her own experiences, Addison will study to become a physical therapist. "It's not always been something I wanted to do," she explained. "But once I got to rehab and I saw all the people in there, including myself, and seeing how I progressed through it, it kind of made me want to do it and help out others."
Beyond therapy, Addison plans to help others by encouraging them to love and respect the ocean and all the creatures that dwell in it — even sharks. "You can't just be mad at the ocean when you're in [sharks'] territory," Addison explained. "They know what they're doing. They know what they want to eat. You've just got to be mindful of that."
