According to his family, a 10-year-old Colorado boy is in intensive care after being brutally attacked by a shark earlier this month while on vacation in Mexico.
Dillon Armijo told Denver7 news on March 17 that a shark bit him on the leg while he was on a beach in Cancun with his family. He described the terrifying experience and said he went to the water to swim or jump in the waves, and then five minutes later, a shark just came into a wave and bit his leg.
According to the publication, Dillon was rescued from the sea by a lifeguard, his mother, and his older brother. He was flown to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora after spending four days in a Mexican hospital.
Dillon is expected to recover fully after undergoing numerous surgeries. His mother, Abby, told Denver7 that they were glad to be able to bring her son back to the United States and perform the final three surgeries near home.
Dillon will require extensive physical therapy before being discharged from the hospital, and he will have to relearn how to walk.
Dillon’s mother added that, given everything he’s been through, he’s done fantastically. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the unexpected medical expenses. As of March 30, it had raised more than $17,800 of the $20,000 goal.
Shark attacks are common along Mexico’s beautiful coast. A diver was beheaded by a great white shark off the west coast of Sonora in January of this year. Experts believe the diver, who was wearing a wetsuit, was mistaken for a seal.
