Girl, 13, Was Attacked by a Barracuda During Turks and Caicos Vacation. It Hasn’t Deterred Her Love of the Ocean
“She still isn’t angry at the ocean or afraid of it. If anything, this experience has made her even more curious about marine life,” Jennifer Macdonel tells PEOPLE of daughter Claire
A teenager was attacked by a barracuda while on a family vacation in Turks and Caicos on July 19
Claire Macdonel’s mother, Jennifer Macdonel, tells PEOPLE, “There was blood everywhere”
The 13-year-old still wants to be a marine biologist, and her love of the ocean remains intact after the animal attack
A teenager was attacked by a barracuda while on a family vacation — but it hasn’t deterred her love of the ocean, according to her mother.
Jennifer Macdonel was on a Turks and Caicos getaway with her loved ones when her daughter, 13-year-old Claire Macdonel, was attacked by the fish with razor-sharp teeth on July 19.
“The attack happened on our first full day on the island,” Jennifer, 48, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “We enjoyed the beach in the morning and decided to take a spontaneous parasailing excursion around mid-afternoon. Shortly after we returned, Claire was doing handstands in the crystal-clear, waist-deep water only a short distance from shore while I was relaxing on a float nearby. It was one of those perfect vacation moments that changed in an instant.”
“At first, we didn’t know what had happened,” the mom of four recalls. “Claire suddenly came out of the water screaming, and there was blood everywhere.”
“We now know it was a barracuda bite, but in those first moments we had no idea what had caused such devastating injuries to her hand,” adds Jennifer.
Jennifer Macdonel (left) and daughter Claire Macdonel (right).Courtesy of Jennifer Macdonel
Claire was tended to by a nurse, who, according to Jennifer, “happened to be enjoying her own day at the beach.” The teen was then transported by ambulance to the local hospital.
There, an orthopedic surgeon “spent nearly five hours treating Claire’s hand, including approximately three hours meticulously cleaning and debriding the wounds to remove damaged tissue and reduce the risk of infection before she could eventually undergo tendon repair back home,” Jennifer says.
Now, “Claire is doing remarkably well,” according to her mom. “The orthopedic surgeon’s biggest concern was preventing infection before tendon repair, and thankfully she has remained infection-free throughout her recovery so far,” Jennifer says. “When we returned home, our Houston hand surgeon commended the exceptional work done by the surgeon in Turks and Caicos.”
“Claire is now preparing for reconstructive tendon surgery and has amazed all of us with her resilience and optimism, although she is disappointed that she will miss playing volleyball and dance while she recovers for the next 10 to 12 weeks,” she adds.
