By ARABELLA SERRATA
Special to the PRESS
Tabatha Sullivent was a victim of a shark bite on July 4. Her road to recovery was long and is still unfinished.
Originally, the Sullivent family came to South Padre Island on a vacation with another family but had to extend their stay after the incident. During the encounter with the shark, Tabatha’s husband, Cary Sullivent,
jumped on the shark while trying to help her. He received injuries on his foot. Tabatha’s calf was almost completely gone. This would make walking nearly impossible.
The Sullivents recovered in a McAllen hospital while parts of their immediate family returned to their home in Dallas. Their youngest daughter remained with them and helped Tabatha with day-to-day life. Their
oldest daughter returned home to care for the family animals and worked with a volunteer group she organized to rebuild their porch to have a ramp.
Even with the hardships, Tabatha remained resilient. The PRESS spoke with Tabatha, and she provided insight into her journey.
After the long road to recovery, Tabatha said the family is planning a wedding for their oldest daughter.
“Through the storm, we have something exciting to look forward to,” said Sullivent.
Tabatha spent quite some time in the hospital. She arrived on July 4 and returned home on Aug. 23, according to her Facebook page. During that time, she went through many surgeries.
Initially, updates on Sullivent were posted on their CaringBridge website, a website that is dedicated to giving those who are dealing with medical issues a community that will listen to them, but eventually, updates were moved to Sullivent’s personal Facebook account. Her Facebook story is constantly being shared among users on the platform.
While she was in the hospital, she was “mostly in good spirits” but still struggled with the small battles in day-to-day life. Tabatha predicts that she will need a brace in the future. Even after the event, she is not
afraid of the ocean.
Want the whole story? Pick up a copy of the Port Isabel-South Padre Press, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
Comments