Shark Attack Survivor, 8, May Suffer Mental Impairment
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The doctor who treated 8-year-old shark attack victim Jessie Arbogast said the boy is unlikely to regain the same cognitive abilities he had before the trauma.
Jessie, whose right arm was reattached after being bitten off by a bull shark July 6, is improving, said Dr. Tim Livingston, a pediatric neurologist at Sacred Heart Hospital. The Ocean Springs, Miss., boy’s arm and mauled leg are mending, the doctor said, but Jessie has not spoken since the attack.
“My suspicion is that he’s going to be left with some cognitive deficits,†Livingston said Friday. “Whether it will be mild or profound we don’t know, and it will take some time to tell.â€
Livingston said Jessie could regain the ability to feed himself and walk, or, more optimistically, to return to school.
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