A 2004 article in the Pensacola News-Journal reported that Arbogast was using a wheelchair and had trouble communicating, but was growing like a weed. An update on his condition in 2009 indicated he was permanently disabled in the attack, but getting along fine with the help of his parents. The open letter from Diana and Vance Flosenzier of Mobile, Ala., was published in Tuesday editions of the Pensacola News Journal. []Eight-year-old Jesse Arbogast was playing in the sea late one evening in July when a 7-foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. The boy's kidneys have since improved and he no longer needs dialysis. The uncle of Jessie Arbogast recalled a pool of blood and his nephew's screams in his account of a horrific July 6 shark attack in Pensacola, Florida, in a National Park Service report released . The boy had no pulse and no blood pressure when he was airlifted to Baptist Hospital about 30 minutes after the attack. He and his wife were getting ready to call their own children and their niece and nephew to the shore for supper. Arbogast. "He still doesn't speak. The shark stories absolutely halted.. The Embrace: A Visit to the New Martin Luther (and Coretta!) Vance and Diana Flosenzierlive an hour from Jessie and his family, and they visit them each week. There were others who joined in the CPR effort, comforted five other children the couple also had taken to the beach, called 911 and handed Vance Flosenzier a cell phone so he could provide vital details of Jessie's injuries to a dispatcher. Signs saying "Welcome Home Jessie" and yellow ribbons heralded his return. The loss of nearly all his blood harmed virtually every organ in his body. The sharks co-operated by offering up a few particularly gruesome attacks. You know, right before I seized its tail, that's what I saw.". "He takes it all in," Claire said. It would all seem incidental after Sept. 11, 2001. Vance and Diana Flosenzier raced toward where their children, their niece and their nephew, Jessie, had been wading in shallow water. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. Lisa Marie Presley's net worth: Losses, lawsuits and Graceland . The boy is still in a light coma and doctors said only time will tell how extensive his brain injury has become. Only Jessie's pale face was visible beneath a blue plastic tarp that shielded him from rain as ambulance personnel took him through his front door. Arbogast's uncle pulled the 7 . presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution July 11, 2001 -- While doctors and family maintain a bedside vigil for Jessie Arbogast, the 8-year-old shark attack victim, scientists are amazed at the circumstances surrounding the . "At this point, they are seeking medical direction about future treatment and therapy," said Flosenzier. King Statue on the Boston Common, Pel, a Pope, and Barbara Walters: Last-Minute Deaths of 2022, Charles Schulzs 100th Birthday: A Salute from the Funny Pages. Two Americans were attacked this month in the Bahamas. "I realized, 'I know what to do, I've got to breathe for him, there's nothing else to do.' He is now 16 with a mustache and lively blue . Thousands of people have prayed and continue to pray. Thanks! ", He now eats the same meals as the rest of the family (two brothers and a sister). And for the most part, he's happy. ", David Arbogast gave up his job as a tile setter three years ago and became Jessie's full-time caregiver. I think they cared.". Jessie Arbogast is on Facebook. Jessie Arbogast has come a long way in the eight years since a shark attack in Florida left him bedridden with a feeding tube. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Jessie's story faded from the limelight. He was born on Dec. 12, 1921, in Circleville, the seventh child of the late Fannie Lillian Nicholas Arbogast and the Rev. 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast was swimming in the ocean near Pensacola, Florida on 6 July 2001 when a 200-pound bull shark bit off his right arm. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. After starting work for Ford Motor Company in 1954, Jessie never bought a car that was not a Ford product. "We were getting ready to go to supper, and about to gather them out of the water when I heard my son yell 'shark!' re: Anyone remember the boy,Jessie Arbogast,who was bitten by a shark in Pensacola 20 yrs ago? Natalie reached out to Jamie Summerlin with Operation Welcome Home to help put together a parade for Arbogast. "I couldn't believe what was happening," Vance Flosenzier said. The episode became immediate international news and kicked off what Time magazine would dub the Summer of the Shark.. Times July 30 cover featured a great white shark, its snout protruding menacingly from the water and its jaws wide open. Hospital officials said he will continue outpatient. Surgeons were able to reattach the arm, but Jesse still had a very long road to recovery ahead. She and her husband, David, have two other sons and a daughter, and there's also a large extended family. He was also an idea person who won more than 50 awards from Ford for increasing efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. In interviews for television, radio, newspapers and magazines, he tried to spread the measured message that shark attacks are incredibly uncommon and fatalities worldwide are rare. "It was just like a nightmare at that point. "I sure didn't want to let it go. "Jessie is speaking clearer words but no sentences," said his aunt, Diana Flosenzier of Hattiesburg. Market data provided by Factset. 4 AF & AM Lodges in Morgantown. "Some meats are run through a processor but he is not on a tube any more," his aunt said. "When I got there I realized it was Jesse, and the shark had him by the arm," Vance Flosenzier said. "He still doesn't speak," Diana Flosenzier said. "I told them it was in the shark and they turned the shark over on its side and stuck a retractable baton into its mouth and pried it open," Vance Flosenzier said. He was a steadfast and loyal person, who was married for more than 74 years to his love, Virgie. All rights reserved. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. While he was a generous man, he was always shopping for great bargains and knew where all the best deals were. On the evening of July 6, 2001, 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast was swimming with his siblings and cousins in shallow water on Floridas northwestern coast when a bull shark sank its teeth into his arm. All rights reserved. The Gulf waves were mild, no higher than a foot and a half. But Jessiestill had a very long road to recovery ahead. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "Probably within a minute or two he stopped breathing altogether," she said. July 9, 2002 -- It has been one year since Jesse Arbogast, then 8, was mauled by a shark, and the uncle who rescued him is still haunted by the attack. In Virginia, a 10-year-old boy was killed while surfing with his family.. He and the rest of the country forgot about sharks for a while. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Market data provided by Factset. "We also wish to thank the many people at the beach whose quick thinking and actions helped to save Jessie," the family said in its statement. "There are no words or ways to express our thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff at both Baptist Hospital and Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, except to say we are eternally grateful.". Copyright 2020 WDTV. To save two crucial minutes of flying time, the crew took Jessie to Baptist Hospital, where he was revived and his arm reattached, instead of Sacred Heart, which has a pediatric intensive care unit. Young shark attack survivor Jessie Arbogast has returned home from a Pensacola, Fla., hospital to finish his recovery. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Arbogast is one of the few veterans still living that fought in Iwo Jima. So I laid him down and started doing rescue breathing.". Arbogast, who is 8, was playing in shallow water at about dusk when the hungry shark bit deeply into his thigh and bit off his arm. Arrangements are being made by McCulla Funeral Home. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Legal Statement. #inline-recirc-item--id-92536002-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Private graveside services will be conducted by the Rev. Financial and moral support has flowed in from around the world. MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - The Morgantown community came together to celebrate Jesse Arbogasts 99th birthday. Jessie David Arbogast Medical Fundc/o Hancock Bank901 Washington Ave.Ocean Springs, MS 39566{228} 872-6983. Anyone remember the boy,Jessie Arbogast,who was bitten by a shark in Pensacola 20 yrs ago? Vance and Diana Flosenzier raced toward the shoreline, where the children had been wading in shallow ocean surf. Vance Flosenzier grabbed onto the shark and wrestled the animal barehanded out of the water. Find your friends on Facebook. OCEAN SPRINGS - Jessie Arbogast has come a long way in the eight years since a shark attack in Florida left him bedridden with a feeding tube. But Jessie still had a very long road to recovery ahead. He would be 28 now. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Arbogast's uncle, Vance Flosenzier, wrestled the shark out of the water; a park ranger shot the shark and Arbogast's arm was pulled from the shark's gullet. And it seemed that if I held its tail up out of the water, it didn't have a lot of power," Vance Flosenzier said. Doctors said he likely suffered some brain damage, the extent of which may not be known for a year. July 9, 2002 -- It has been one year since Jesse Arbogast, then 8, was mauled by a shark, and the uncle who rescued him is still haunted by the attack. All rights reserved. "I heard a scream andI turned to the water andI saw a pool of bloodwhere the three boys were.". "It's a full time job, caring for Jessie. Jessie has made dramatic recovery from the shark bites and no longer needs medication, including for pain, although he still must be fed through a tube, said Dr. . The relatives expressed thanks to others who came to the aid of their nephew, whose arm was ripped off in a July 6 Florida shark attack. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. display: none; It's been difficult for all of them, there's no doubt about that. "We're cautiously optimistic," Diana said. He was born on December 12, 1921, in Circleville, WV, the seventh child of the late Fannie Lillian Nicholas Arbogast and the Reverend P.W. - Jessie Arbogast has come a long way in the eight years since a shark attack at Gulf Islands National Seashore, just west of Pensacola Beach, left him bedridden with a feeding tube. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Eight-year-old Jessie Arbogast was playing on the shores of Florida's Santa Rosa Island with his family in 2001 when a bull shark attacked. He is now 16 with a mustache and lively blue eyes. I believe he had his arm reattached but with the blood loss and trauma I don't think he was ever the same. "We would get mail addressed to 'The Mississippi boy who got bit by a shark,' and the post office knew where to deliver it," his mother said. Who2 does not collect any personal information. 07/01/2003 in Health, Kids, Slice o' Life | Permalink, When They Broadcast 'I Love Lucy" in Spanish . Editor's Note: Donations can be made to The Jessie Arbogast Medical Fund, account number 012428229, c/o Hancock Bank, P.O. He told reporters that there had been no more shark attacks than usual. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. All The uncle grabbed the tail of the 6-foot bull shark while it had Jessie's right arm in its mouth at Langdon Beach in the Fort Pickens area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola. Seems like the family was from somewhere around Biloxi. P.W. The number of people killed in shark attacks also dropped to five in 2001, from 12 the year before. 3 TCU To Win Back-To-Back National Championships, Report: Texas A&M Hiring Bobby Petrino As Aggies New Offensive Coordinator, Watching Bojana Jovanovic's Tennis Serve Is Beautiful, Bob Stoops Predicts When Nick Saban Will Retire, Former LSU CB Damarius McGhee Announces Transfer Destination. He served as a member of numerous teams performing graveside ceremonies for his Masonic brothers. Arbogasts uncle, Vance Flosenzier, wrestled the shark out of the water; a park ranger shot the shark and Arbogasts arm was pulled from the sharks gullet. "What Jessie responds to the most is his own family and the people he eems to recognize," Patterson said. 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast was swimming in the ocean near Pensacola, Florida on 6 July 2001 when a 200-pound bull shark bit off his right arm. To save two crucial minutes of flying time, the crew took Jessie to Baptist Hospital, where he was revived and his arm reattached, instead of Sacred Heart, which has a pediatric intensive care unit. The aunt and uncle of shark attack victim Jessie Arbogast described the 8-year-old's homecoming as "bittersweet.". P.W. Of course that in and of itself is horrible. Jessie, a member of the "Greatest Generation," was a. His uncle, Vance Flosenzier, rushed into the water. However, the 11-year-old is still in a wheelchair and lacks the ability to communicate. And all of that is stuff that he couldn't do six months ago," Diana said. The Family would like to extend its grateful appreciation to Jessies aides who gave their love and care to him over the past five years: Pat Taylor, LPN, for her expertise and companionship, Natalie Moore for including Jessie as a member of her family, he loved her three children, and Donna Huey for funcar trips, ice cream andlollipops. He can't walk, and he can't make his arms do what he wants them to. Vance Flosenzier, the uncle, spoke to ABCNEWS' Good Morning America, describing publicly for the first time how he rescued his nephew just over one year ago on an ocean beach near Pensacola, Fla. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Copyright @2023 TigerDroppings.com. Compare DNA and explore genealogy for Jessie Arbogast born 1815 Virginia, United States died 1874 Walnut Grove Township, McDonough, Illinois, United States including ancestors + descendants + DNA connections + more in the free family tree community. Jessie W. Arbogast, 99, passed away Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at Madison Rehab Center. "His dad has not gone back to work," Diana Flosenzier said. No doubt, this was due to the austerity of his family situation during the Great Depression. He went home and watched the TV coverage. At dusk, two days after the fourth of July, Jessie Arbogast was having a Kodak moment on the beach in Pensacola, Fla. . 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