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Photo courtesy of the Gribbin family.
Lulu Gribbin, her twin sister, Ellie, and Sherlock, a hospital therapy dog.
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Photo courtesy of the Gribbins family.
Dr. Ryan Forbess, a family medicine doctor from Orange Beach, Alabama, with Lulu Gribbins. Forbess was one of the doctors that performed lifesaving measures at the scene following the attack.
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Photo by Sarah Owens.
Purple mailbox bows created by Smith’s Variety to show support for Lulu Gribbin.
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Photo by Sarah Owens.
Purple mailbox bows created by Smith’s Variety to show support for Lulu Gribbin.
Brad Simpson doesn’t personally know Lulu Gribbin or her family, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing support for the Mountain Brook teen who was critically injured in a shark attack at a Florida beach on June 7.
Simpson owns Smith’s Variety, a small business in Mountain Brook that has been making purple ribbons in honor of Gribbin.
“Neighbors want to be there for one another,” Simpson said, “and mailbox bows are a simple visual representation of the care and concern people have for Lulu and the Gribbin family.”
Gribbin is one of three individuals who were injured in shark attacks that occurred within two hours and four miles of each other in the Florida panhandle area known as 30A, between Panama City Beach and Destin. She lost a hand and leg in the attack, along with two-thirds of the blood in her body.
McCray Faust, also a Mountain Brook teen, sustained minor injuries to her foot in the attack.
Roughly 90 minutes earlier, a 45-year-old woman was also attacked and survived her injuries.
Gribbin’s family credits her survival to the bystanders on the beach, several of whom were nurses and doctors, who quickly jumped into action to pull her from the water and stop the bleeding while they waited for emergency responders to arrive.
She has already undergone life-saving surgery and a leg amputation, with several more surgeries to come before she can begin complete recovery, according to her mother.
The shark attack made international news. In the week after it happened, social media monitoring platform Talkwalker found accounts discussing Lulu had a potential reach of 1.4 billion people. While the vast majority of the discussions took place in the United States, Lulu was mentioned by name as far away as Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Brazil and Colombia.
But at home, concern turned from talk to action. Gribbin and her family face a tough road to recovery; the community in and around her Mountain Brook home has made it clear they’re here to support them.
“A fund has been established by family friends that allows community members to donate directly to the family to cover expenses,” Simpson said. “Additionally, we know of several great businesses in surrounding communities getting involved. Andy’s Creekside Nursery and Norton’s Florist are donating bows, T-shirts are being sold by Bandwagon and Shea Davis Boutique and Holland and Birch are selling bracelets. Other than financial, the community has come together in prayer to support Lulu.”
The mailbox bows have dotted Mountain Brook’s residential streets and adorned storefronts. Simpson said Smith’s Variety had already distributed over 450 bows, and they have approximately 600 more orders, bringing their total number to over 1,050 only a week after the attack.
“We were approached Saturday evening by friends of the family wanting to show support and care for Lulu. They initially asked us to make 15 to 20 bows for their neighborhood,” Simpson said. “More and more people wanted to show that they were thinking about and praying for Lulu, and the requests have grown every day.”
Simpson is selling the ribbons for $9.99, with all net proceeds going directly to the Gribbin family. Bows will be available for as long as people request them.
Holly Gunn of Gunn Dermatology has also shown her support for Gribbin and Faust. She sent both girls several products to help with scar treatment, and there are purple bows hanging on the exterior of her offices.
Gunn shared an Instagram post praising the community for showcasing the bows across town, saying it is a “simple and yet strong sign that this community is full of people that want to help, that want to truly support, and earnestly care.” Prayers for continued healing, love and support were included in the post as well.
As Gribbin starts her recovery journey, she has moved from Pensacola’s Sacred Heart Hospital to an unnamed facility in order to receive specialty care.
“We made the decision, not lightly, to have the remainder of her surgeries and rehab done in another hospital setting,” Gribbin’s mother, Ann Blair, said in a CaringBridge journal entry on June 12. “I prayed for God to help Joe and I make the best decision for Lulu regarding her care, and we believe this will give Lulu the best opportunity to live a normal life as possible with two prosthetics. Medically this is the best option for Lulu and is another step in this journey and road to healing.”
John Kemp, president and CEO of the Lakeshore Foundation, a Homewood-based nonprofit that provides resources for individuals with physical disabilities, says that besides the physical healing process, a large part of Gribbin’s journey will depend on how she accepts and addresses the challenges she will face. Kemp, who was born without arms or legs, has dedicated his life to disability advocacy and service.
He notes that a typical part of coping with such a traumatic event is anger that your life has changed so drastically. But then comes
the acceptance.
“There’s no denying that there’s a frustration period that is just going to be tough, and everybody will understand,” Kemp said. “We as people with disabilities, and she is now a person with a disability, are pretty well aware of who we are, and not much has changed for her psychologically in terms of her identity inside and how she views herself. I think the hard part is, what does she think other people are thinking of her?”
Kemp stressed that when Lulu is ready, there are resources available to help her adjust to her new reality. He also pointed out that mental health is an important part of the recovery process for Lulu — and her family and friends.
“Mental health services are now just kind of coming of age, and people are starting to understand how important they are, not to just Lulu, but to her family and what role they play in helping Lulu,” he said. “You’ve got to figure out how to cope and deal with folks and get along and even succeed and thrive, and a lot of that is just going to be her own intuition, … but she should not be afraid to ask for help.”
Gribbin discussed her mental health with a child life specialist while at Sacred Heart Hospital, according to her mother’s CaringBridge post, and she completed an exercise that assigned colors to her feelings.
“Black, red, purple, and pink were the colors. Black was for when it is hard. Red was for surprised, surprised that this is happening to her. Purple was for anxiety, anxiety about what is coming in the road ahead,” the post read. “And then there was pink … pink stands for her biggest emotion she is feeling which is grateful. She said she is grateful for all the love and support that she has surrounding her.”
Gribbin has not only received support from the local community, but from people all over the country, including videos sharing words of encouragement from coaches and athletes of all sports. As Gribbin is an athlete herself, the director of her club volleyball program collected the videos in an effort to share uplifting messages.
“We continue to be amazed by the outpouring of love, support and prayers for Lulu and our family,” Blair said. “The texts, calls, Facebook/Instagram posts and messages, videos are so uplifting and a constant reminder that she is loved.”
You can follow Gribbin’s journey on Instagram at @lulug.strong.
