Overview

• On May 8, 26-year-old Rachel Smith was bitten by a metre-long reef shark while paddling in hip-deep water off Rose Hall beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
• The attack severed her ring finger and caused ruptured tendons, nerves and disconnected ligaments in her left hand.
• Local hospitals quoted steep fees and had no surgeon available for two weeks, prompting Rachel and her sister Lisa to cut their holiday short and fly to Cork, Ireland.
• Surgeons at Cork University Hospital performed emergency plastic surgery to repair the extensive damage to her hand.
• She and her sister continue to suffer nightmares, with doctors projecting about 18 months for her to fully regain movement in her hand.