Orange Beach doctor honored for saving shark attack victim

ORANGE BEACH, Alabama (WALA) – An Orange Beach doctor is being honored for his courageous actions in saving the life of a teenager.

Earlier this month, 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin and two others were attacked by sharks on Walton County beaches.

Lulu is still recovering in hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries.

Now Orange Beach City Council members are calling Dr. Ryan Forbess a “hometown hero.”

At the City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, Dr. Forbess received a standing ovation and a plaque from the city.

He says all the attention was overwhelming, but the greatest gift for him was knowing that Lulu was safe and sound.

Update on shark attack victims and the heroes who helped save their lives

After the attack, Lulu lost her left hand and right leg.

Dr. Forbess and Dr. Mohammed Ali didn’t waste a second to help her.

“I didn’t even think about vacation mode, I just thought about someone who needed help,” Dr. Forbess said. “We’re doctors, this is what we have to do, and so we just did it.”

During the city council meeting, Dr. Forbess recounted the horrific moments when Lulu was bitten and how she might not have survived if she had not received immediate medical attention.

“Given the extent of her trauma, I believe she would not be here if immediate action had not been taken,” Dr. Forbess said. “But I think it was somehow God’s grace that I and Dr. Ali and the other health workers were there.”

Dr. Forbess had the opportunity to visit Lulu in the hospital.

He says he became emotional when he first saw and spoke to her.

A moment that, in his opinion, doctors don’t get very often.

“It was really heartwarming. She hugged me and said to me – I got a little teary-eyed – ‘Thank you for saving my life. It’s not something you see every day,'” said Dr. Forbess emotionally. “But no, it’s amazing. That’s what you do in medicine. You save lives, but when you see a child at the beginning of their life, it’s amazing that you can save them.”

In the hope that this story reaches Lulu, Dr. Forbess has a message for her…

“Just stay strong like you’ve been doing so far. I think you’re a spirited, strong girl and I’m just so glad you’re alive and well,” Forbess said. “And if you ever need anything, I understand you want to be a doctor one day, and I think you will. So if you need help, call me.”

Lulu’s mother posted her last update on Caring Bridge on Tuesday evening.

She says Lulu is getting stronger every day.

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