A Mountain Brook teen who watched in horror as her twin sister lost a hand and leg in a Florida shark attack has written about the gruesome ordeal and thanked those who saved the 15-year-old’s life.

Lulu Gribbin and 16-year-old McCray Faust, both Mountain Brook High School students, were on a mother-daughter trip on Florida’s Gulf Coast last week when the teens were bitten while looking for sand dollars with their friends.

Gribbin was critically injured, and Faust sustained a serious bite to her foot.

A 45-year-old Virginia woman – Elisabeth Foley – was also critically injured in a separate attack less than two hours earlier and about four miles away.

Lulu remains in a Florida hospital, having undergone several surgeries with more to come. Her plight has drawn widespread concern and support from across the country.

Businesses in Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills are supporting her through fundraising by selling or giving away purple bows – which is her favorite color.

A Homewood business has designed and is selling bracelets that say, “I made it,” which were among Lulu’s first words to her parents, Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin, after the attack.

Holland & Birch is donating 40 percent of the sales to Lulu’s recovery.

A Caring Bridge website was launched to chronicle Lulu’s progress, and her twin sister, Ellie, has now shared the experience of Friday’s attack from her viewpoint. Lulu is one of four Gribbin siblings.

The group was vacationing at Seacrest Beach and looking forward to a few days in the sun and surf.

On Friday, they headed to the beach about 10:30 a.m., where they tanned, swam, and played volleyball.

Most of the group headed up about noon for lunch. Ellie and one of their friends stayed on the beach because they wanted to swim out to the second sand bar.

“We borrowed a boogie board and a hot pink sparkle float to bring out with us to the second sand bar since it is very far away and extremely deep,’’ Ellie wrote. “In between the first sand bar and second sand bar, we found lots of sand dollars and wildlife.”

“As soon as we got to the second sand bar we realized that something was off so we each swam down once to touch the bottom then quickly paddled back to shore because we were scared,’’ Ellie wrote.

Their friends rejoined them on the beach for another round of volleyball.

Ellie said she wanted everyone in the group find a sand dollar so they could all get a picture together.

“So we convinced everyone to get in the water,’’ Ellie said. “Also, we convinced them to get into the water because some guys were getting in, so everyone wanted to make some new friends.”

A short time later, Ellie wrote, the shark appeared.

One of the girl’s said, “What’s that?” and another screamed, “shark.”

Ellie said she and another girl “started swimming for our lives.”

“Suddenly I heard Lulu yell something like, ‘stay calm,’’’ she wrote. “I finally get close to the shore, so I stand up and turn around and my life was changed forever.”

“Instantly I only see blood. The entire ocean is red, ocean waves bring the blood closer,’’ she said.

“And then I see my sister, she is screaming for help and then she reaches out for Lila because she is the closest to her and I can see her arm, her arm without her hand,’’ she wrote. “It was just a limb of flesh, blood, and muscle, no hand to be found.”

Ellie said she started to cry and scream, “That’s my sister.”

Multiple bystanders jumped in to help, including Stephen Beene, who pulled Lulu from the shark, and Matthew Lidle, who took Lulu from Beene and carried her to the shore.

“I immediately see that not only her hand was gone but basically her whole leg,’’ Ellie wrote. “I can see her whole thigh bone and there is barely any muscle left, I don’t even think her foot was still there, but I do not remember.”

Doctors and nurses who were also vacationing there jumped into action, putting tourniquets on Lulu’s wounds.

“My mind went blank,’’ Ellie wrote. “It was just me and Lulu against the world.”

“I reassured her over and over that it would all be okay and that she was doing great,’’ she said. “She started to close her eyes and a man told her to keep them open so I opened them for her because I was afraid she would die if I didn’t.”

The twins’ mother, who had gone to lunch with her friends, then returned to find a crowd and chaos on the beach.

“As soon as I found my mom, we held each other’s forearms, and I told her that the person that was bit by the shark was Lulu,’’ Ellie wrote. “She ran to Lulu but could not do anything besides just look at her. She couldn’t hug her, kiss her, or say anything to her.”

“And then she saw Lulu’s leg,’’ she wrote. “She screamed a horrifying scream that I will never forget.”

Ellie said she stayed strong for her sister and her mother, answering questions for the first responders. She also then used a stranger’s phone to call her father.

“Then I finally cried. I told him that Lulu was bitten by a shark and that mom was really struggling,’’ she said. “I told him I am trying to be strong, but I didn’t know how long I could be like this.”

“I told him to go ahead and start driving down here and then he told me, ‘You can do this. I love you.’’’

The family began the drive to Pensacola, to the hospital where Lulu had been airlifted.

Ellie said she spoke by phone with her grandmother, and told her, “You will never get to cheer us playing volleyball together again.”

“She told me that is was OK, because Lulu wanted to become a doctor and she doesn’t need volleyball to be a doctor,’’ she wrote.

Ellie said she couldn’t believe what was happing.

“I can’t remember who I told but I said to someone, hopefully this is just a dream and when we wake up tomorrow life will be back to normal,’’ she wrote. “Well, I came to find out that it wasn’t a dream but actually a nightmare.”

When Ellie got to see her twin, she said she held Lulu’s hand and cried.

“When she was extubated, we hugged and she started crying again and told me she was sorry I had to go through this, she told me how proud she was of me and how much she loved me,’’ Ellie wrote. “I told her that we were in this together and how strong and loved she was.”

Ellie thanked all who helped that day.

“Thank you to Steve for rescuing my twin and best friend. Thank you, Matt, for going into the water and helping her by giving her a tourniquet. Thank you to the lady doctor who put a tourniquet on lulu’s arm,’’ she wrote. “Thank you to the lady doctor who held Lulu’s pulse (sorry for pushing you away, I though Lulu didn’t like it).”

“Thank you to all of the other doctors who helped save her life on the beach that day. Thank you to all the paramedics, flight medics, nurses and doctors who also helped save Lulu’s life that day,’’ she wrote. “I will forever be grateful for each and every one of you.”

The Caring for Lulu Fund has been established to help with her long road to recovery.

Donations are being accepted through Zelle via [email protected].

Donations can also be made via checks made out to Richard Littrell and Stephen Faust FBO Lulu Gribbin, and mailed to Oakworth Capital Bank, ATTN: Richard Littrell FBO Lulu Gribbin, 850 Shades Creek Parkway, Suite 200, Birmingham, Alabama 35209.