Doctors in Australia have failed to reattach the leg of a surfer who was attacked by a great white shark last week. But the 23-year-old is remarkably upbeat: “See what’s missing? Haha,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself on Instagram.
Kay McKenzie was attacked last Tuesday near Port Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia. The perpetrator was a 3-metre shark, which she described as “the biggest shark I've ever seen”.
dog leash harness
He managed to get to shore by himself. There, an off-duty police officer walking his dog made a tourniquet from the dog's leash to stop the bleeding. Shortly thereafter, his leg also washed ashore, and locals immediately applied ice to it.
Kai and his leg were taken to the hospital in the hope that his leg would be put back together. But that didn't work, as you can see from the photo he posted on Instagram today:
The hospital where Kai is being treated did not say whether there was an attempt to reattach his leg for privacy reasons, the BBC reported.
Crowdfunding
Two days ago, Kai wrote on Instagram that he was especially happy to still be able to hug his girlfriend and family.
He also thanked everyone who donated via the crowdfunding page to cover his future medical costs. The page has now raised nearly $170,000 AUD (over €100,000).
just started again
Kai McKenzie has just started surfing again after recovering from a serious neck injury. But he’s not thinking about giving up: “Before you know it I’ll be back in the water,” he writes.
Shark attacks are more common in Australia than in the rest of the world, but people rarely die as a result.
