OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — Jessie Arbogast has come a long way in the eight years since a shark attack in Florida left him bedridden with a feeding tube. He is now 16 with a mustache and lively blue eyes. He sits up in his wheelchair and participates in his life. And for the most part, he’s happy.
His body still has bite marks — imprints of the shark’s teeth. A huge portion of his right thigh is missing, his right arm has scars between his elbow and shoulder where it was reattached and he has brain damage caused from major blood loss, but he’s interested in what’s going on around him, and he comes off as lively and robust, though unable to speak.
“He takes it all in,” said his mother, Claire Arbogast, who is his constant companion during the day. “Our biggest challenge now is how to help him get it out.”
And by that, she means express himself.
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