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GoFundMe started for former Mass. resident who lost hand in shark attack
After being denied insurance coverage for a myoelectric prosthetic hand, Elisabeth Foley is asking the public for help.
For former Mansfield resident Elisabeth Foley, June 7, 2024, began as an ordinary beach day on the Gulf Coast of Florida — and quickly turned into a battle for her life.
As on the previous three days, Foley, 51, went for a swim with her husband and three children. Suddenly, only about chest-deep in the water, Foley saw a submarine-like mass approach her from underneath the surface.
“The flight or flight took action in my body and I started swimming toward the shore,” Foley told Boston.com. “I felt this searing pain in my legs and I immediately knew I had been attacked by a shark.”
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Foley’s next thought was of her family. She attempted to punch the shark in the face.
“I was so sure that it would get one of my children, and then I would lose my child,” Foley said. “I went into a mama bear mode.”
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When Foley stuck her left arm out of the water, her hand was completely gone.
With the help of her husband and nearby medical professionals, Foley made it to shore and stayed conscious until she was airlifted to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.
She remained in Florida for five days, where she underwent a surgery every day.
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After being transported to a facility closer to her home in Richmond, Virginia, Foley spent an additional 43 days in the hospital.
Foley returned home after 26 surgeries, but her day-to-day life had completely changed. She could no longer put on her own jewelry or zip up her own clothes, and had to cut her hair short to make it more manageable.
“The strangest thing was walking into my house for the first time after surgery,” Foley said. “Everything in my house was the same, but I was completely different.”
In December, Foley was scheduled to receive a myoelectric hand, an externally powered prosthetic limb that harnesses electricity from the residual limb. The new prosthetic, more similar to a human hand, would allow her to return to her hobbies of cooking and gardening.
Foley had already tried on the hand and was scheduled to pick it up on Christmas Eve. Two weeks before Christmas, a health advocate called Foley to tell her that the hand would no longer be covered by her insurance company.
Foley and her family have set up a GoFundMe with the goal of raising $73,000 to help them afford the myoelectric arm.
Despite these challenges, Foley remains hopeful and grateful.
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“I’m not angry about it,” Foley said. “I’m truly thankful that I’m alive and that I’m able to tell my story, and give people hope that even in the face of tragedy amazing things can happen.”
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