Italian sports journalist Eleonora Boi, the wife of former New York Knicks first-round pick Danilo Gallinari, has spoken publicly for the first time since surviving a shark attack in Puerto Rico.
Boi, who is pregnant, was bitten on the thigh and says she is expected to make a full recovery.
Her baby, due in November, was not harmed.
Boi called the experience “traumatizing” and detailed the terrifying moment in waist-deep water with the couple’s two children, she said appearing on Good Morning America.
“I felt a strong pain, and my thigh was burning, but my idea was, ‘Maybe it’s a huge jellyfish,'” Boi said. “But in the reality, it wasn’t a jellyfish. I started crying and screaming and I was screaming for help in Italian.”
Gallinari, who was on the beach with their son, ran into the water to get her to safety.
“As soon as everyone started screaming, I had my son with me,” Gallinari said. “I ran towards my wife and my daughter.”
A woman helped put pressure on Boi’s thigh as they waited for help to arrive. Boi and Gallinari never got that woman’s name, but thanked her during the appearance.
“She was an angel,” Boi said. “Danilo was with me, and she helped so much. I would like to say thank you to this woman, because I don’t know her name, and I just want to say thank you to her, because she helped a lot.”
Doctors conducted hours of tests to ensure the baby was safe before performing surgery on Boi. She now makes weekly doctor visits and is on track for a full recovery.
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