In 2001, 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast was wading in knee-deep water on a Florida beach when a 7-foot, 200-pound bull shark suddenly attacked and tore off his right arm. His uncle, Vance Flosenzier, yanked Jessie from the surf as he bled heavily, then ran back, grabbed the shark, wrestled it to shore, and held it while rescuers cut it open and pulled Jessie's arm from its throat.
A helicopter rushed both boy and arm to a hospital, where surgeons spent about 11 hours reconnecting bone, blood vessels, and nerves until circulation returned. Jessie survived in critical condition with massive blood loss and serious complications, but doctors managed to save his arm and his life.