CNN 2012-07-19

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Authorities later caught and killed the alligator. They were able to retrieve² Kaleb's arm, but by then it was too late to reattach it. This isn't how Kaleb planned on starting his senior year of high school in the fall. But considering what happened in the terrifying moments underwater, it's remarkable³ that he's even alive. We had a chance to speak earlier.

 

So, Fred, it's been a week, pretty amazing week for you. How you're feeling right now? How you doing?

 

I’m pretty good. 

 

Yeah, yeah. Are you in a lot of pain? What kind of things have you been doing to try to deal with now what's a massive⁴ loss, your arm?

 

Just texting people. That's all I can do in this hospital bed.

 

Yes, you're kind of stuck in bed for a little bit. What have doctors told you about your prognosis?

 

They said I should be able to go home in the next week or two. And whenever they first brought me in, that my arm was pretty clean, and whenever they went to clean it again, there wasn't that much to clean. So all they had to do is close it up.

 

I know you told a bunch of people this story a bunch of times, but it's just crazy. I want you to walk me through one more time what happened. I know you were racing⁵, swimming across the river with your friends.

 

Yes, ma'am. I was about maybe 30 feet away from the side of the bank. Abraham started yelling⁶ "gator." I was like, really, you're going to fool me like that? I looked and lo and behold⁷ there's a gator there.

 

So I stopped and tried to get eye level with the water. I was hoping that maybe he would lose track of me, but he just kept on coming at me full playing. And whenever he got about a foot away from me, I grabbed⁸ the bottom skin, or the, yes, the bottom skin under his jaw⁹ trying to lead him away, but it didn't work. So I wrapped my legs around him and he dove¹⁰. And I had him pretty good until he death rolled and knock me off. So I kicked off with my feet trying to make a break for the bank. I was trying to swim. And I threw my right arm on back trying to come back again, trying to catch another thing of water. That's when he got my arm and I got a breath of air. And he dragged me back down. He done a death roll and broke all the bones in my arm. So then I took my feet. And put it on his mouth to try and break my arm off because I knew it's either going to be the arm or my life. So I was like, forget the arm. So, as he … 

 

My gosh, so the death roll is when they start doing that sort of spin and you know that that's when they're, the gator's trying to take you under? That's really where they kill their prey¹¹?

 

Yes, ma'am, that's when they normally drown them.

 

So you decided¹² if it was between your life and your arm, you were going to give up your arm and not your life?

 

Yes, ma'am.

 

You were able to make it to shore. What happened then?

 

I started climbing up the bank and fell into some cacti¹³. And I still got them in my legs, I think I’ll get them all out. And I was coming up. There was a tree that had a whole bunch of spider webs on it. So I grabbed the spider webs and tried to put them on my arm. Because whenever I was in the wood, my mom and dad were like, if you ever get a bad cut, put spider webs on it to stop bleeding and … So I grabbed that and put it on my arm and I sat down by the road. I put my arm between my legs and squeezed to keep pressure on it to stop the blood and it worked.

 

OK, Kaleb, it's so great to hear you sounding so well and hearing that you're going to get out of the hospital pretty soon.

 

That's an amazing story. I know you've told it to lots of folks, but it is just an incredible¹⁴ story. Thank you for being with us this evening. We certainly appreciate it.

 

All right, anytime.

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