MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - More than two years after a boy was attacked by a shark while snorkeling in South Florida, the 12-year-old is sharing his survival story and his ongoing recovery.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s 17th annual Diamond Ball, held Saturday night at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, was a celebration of success and resiliency, especially for Jameson Reeder Jr.
7News cameras captured the moment the survivor took the stage.
“To the greatest hospital in the world, thank you for all you have done for me,” he said.
Jameson was able to overcome the unthinkable after he was attacked by a 9-foot bull shark while on vacation with his family in the Lower Keys on Aug. 13, 2022.
Jameson said he remembers the incident clearly.
“When [the shark] bit right below my knee, and then it let go and it bit lower, close to my ankle, and it shook,” he said, “and then, when it was shaking, my neck turned almost all the way, like, behind me, and I saw the shark.”
Jameson lost part of his right leg below the knee. Rescue crews flew him to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Southwest Miami-Dade for lifesaving surgery.
Dr. Monica Payares-Lizino is one of several doctors who have been by his side for his miraculous recovery and continued healing.
“He does great. Listen, this is a challenging thing, and with growing children and this kind of injuries, they keep growing,” she said, “so there’s a lot of issues, and there’s expectations of repeated surgeries and things like that. In spite of the shock of everything, you can palpate the energy of this kid.”
“[The doctors] are like family to us now; it’s like our second home,” said Mary Reeder, the boy’s mother. “We love coming to visit, so even when we come down here to visit family, we always spend some time at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.”
Now sporting a prosthetic leg, Jameson has been up to a lot the last two years. For instance, he has been knocking it out of the park with his traveling baseball team.
“I have four siblings, and I have been – they all play baseball, and I’ve been playing baseball with them. I’ve been coaching my brother,” he said.
Jameson has even gotten back out on the water. He said he loves water sports and surfing.
But it was something that he witnessed after his injury that, he said, really made a difference in his life.
“When I saw Jesus out in the water — it was on the boat while we were heading back to the ambulance — that really changed my perspective on the ocean, and so, I love the ocean more now, kind of because of that,” he said.
Jameson and his parents said their lives are forever changed. With the support of their doctors at Nicklaus, the boy is thriving and this family’s faith is stronger than ever.
“It’s pretty remarkable, how he goes from not having a leg to getting a leg, and then finding a way, usually within weeks of getting that leg, of doing everythig he used to do before the shark attack,” said Jameson Reeder Sr., Jameson’s father, “and in some cases, with more of an unbelievable attitude and spirit, because that’s what people love about this kid.”
“Face your own fear, and I feel like that will change [people’s] lives a lot, if they face their fears,” said the younger Jameson.
The Reeders have written a book coming out next summer that documents Jameson’s journey. He said that his dream is to surf a waterspout.
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