Support Annabelle's Recovery Journey

My name is Aja Jewell, mom of two high school students. That is not the important information in this story. We are just the support team for a family that is going through the scariest situation that you could ever imagine.

The center of this effort is for the Carlson family. They are going to need the entire community to rally around them, so that they can focus on Annabelle, their 15-year-old daughter.

On a family vacation to Belize, Annabelle was scuba diving with a tour group and her family. After she was finished scuba diving and was on the boat, she jumped back into the water for a swim.

That's when the unimaginable encounter happened. The odds are 1 in 11.5 million that this could happen.

That unimaginable encounter was a shark attack. It was a very aggressive, very traumatic, terror-filled fight for her life.

Annabelle 1, shark 0

Annabelle was able to fight off the attack as best as she could but was critically injured in the fight.

The emergency responders in Belize acted very quickly. She was airlifted by helicopter to a trauma medical center in Belize City. The quick action from the emergency response team in Belize saved her life.

They were able to stabilize her, at which point she was medically flown to the United States and is currently receiving care at the top trauma center.

Annabelle will have a very long road of recovery ahead of her.

All of the details are not being shared for privacy for the family and for Annabelle. As her strength returns, the family will be giving regular updates, which we will share as often as we can.

Luca was able to speak with Annabelle briefly and told her that she has the world of support behind her.

Her classmates at Aspen High School proposed the hashtag to share support for her.

From the class of 2027 #AnnabellesBratGirlSummer