A 12-year-old girl who survived one of North Carolina’s shark attacks over the summer had her final fitting last week for a robotic arm, her mother, Laurie Yow, recently wrote in an update on Facebook.
Kiersten Johnson, of Archdale, North Carolina, was one of two youths attacked by sharks in mid-June at a beach in Oak Island, North Carolina. The attack left her with only part of her left arm and severe injuries to her left leg, according to her GoFundMe page, which her family set up to help cover Kiersten’s medical bills.
According to the family’s most recent GoFundMe update, Kiersten has undergone surgeries and physical therapy since the attack. The last big step toward her physical recovery was getting fitted for the prosthetic arm, the i-limb quantum arm, created by Touch Bionics.
“This hand amazes me and we hope that when Kiersten gets the final version, she will continue to adapt and relearn several tasks,” Yow wrote on Facebook. “She picked up how to use it fairly quickly, but it will take a lot more practice. Those of you that know her, know she will speak few words until she gets to know you. Until then, it is shoulder shrugs, smiles etc. She gave us the thumbs up!”
Yow wrote that the family hopes Kiersten’s new prosthetic will be ready by Christmas Day.
A YouTube video showing Kiersten using the robotic arm has received over 4,000 views since it was posted on Dec. 2.
Stay up-to-date on the biggest health and wellness news with our weekly recap.