Texas woman's recovery from shark attack featured on Shark Week

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — On July 4, 2024, North Texas native Tabatha Sullivent was one of four people who were bitten by a shark in shallow waters in South Padre Island.

The Celina, Texas, native was swimming when something dark approached her from the water.

"All I saw was something gray in the water, so I just kicked at it because I thought ‘Oh my God, it’s a huge fish,'” Sullivent said in a previous ValleyCentral article.

Sullivent continued to kick at the shark until it attacked and bit off a majority of her left calf.

Following the shark attack, Sullivent underwent skin grafting surgery along with regular therapy visits to help with her recovery process.

On Aug. 7, 2024, she shared an update on her social media on where she took one of her first steps since the Fourth of July shark attack.

Sullivent told ValleyCentral she spent a month recovering in McAllen before being transferred to her home near Dallas, Texas.

She continued going through several months of surgery, receiving skin grafts, and going through extensive wound care and enduring physical therapy.

Sullivent told ValleyCentral that she recalled having a conversation with one of her physical therapists, who asked about her goals. She responded that she's going to walk to her daughter's wedding last November.

Less than four months after the shark attack, Sullivent was able to walk down the aisle and dance at the wedding without assistance.

At the time of the interview, Sullivent was getting ready for a vacation, but quickly added that it was not at the beach.

She stated, she always loved the beach and that snorkeling was one of her favorite hobbies, but unfortunately, she still does not feel comfortable being in deep water.

“I know I’m healing, I know I’m feeling better, I know I’m doing the things I didn’t even think I’d be able to do, but at the same time, I have to get over the fact that even though I’m healing, what I lost isn’t coming back, and I think that’s the hardest part for me right now,” Sullivent said.

As of now, she added, she is still working on getting stronger both mentally and physically.

For the next couple of years, she plans to have cosmetic surgery to rebuild the part of her leg that was lost in the attack.

She added, the goals for the surgery are aesthetic and protective, that the wound is very close to her bone and uncomfortable due to nerve pain near her wound.

Although Sullivent may not be heading to the beach anytime soon, her story will be featured on Shark Week later this month.