A panel consisting of shark attack survivor Lulu Gribbin and her surgeons Dr. Glenn Gaston and Dr. Bryan Loeffler will speak during Troy University’s Helen Keller Lecture on March 31 on the Troy Campus.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 11 a.m. in the Claudia Crosby Theater inside Smith Hall. Dr. Stefanie East, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication Studies in TROY’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication, will serve as moderator for the panel.
The Helen Keller Lecture Series, which began in 1985 as the vision of Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hawkins, Jr., was initiated to call attention to and raise awareness of the challenges of those with physical limitations, particularly those affecting sensory ability. Through the years, the lecture has also provided the opportunity to highlight those who have devoted their careers to meeting the needs of the sensory impaired and to celebrate the collaborative efforts and partnerships of Troy University and the agencies and individuals who serve these special individuals.
“Lulu Gribbin’s story reminds our students that barriers, whether physical, emotional, financial, or mental, do not define their future,” said Lauren S. Cole, Executive Director of Troy University’s John W. Schmidt Center for Student Success. “Lulu’s grit and determination to walk again in such a short period of time inspire us all to dig deep, stay resilient, and keep moving forward no matter our life circumstances.”
On June 7, 2024, while diving for sand dollars with friends on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Gribbin was attacked by a bull shark, severing her left hand and part of her right leg. She was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital where her surgeon’s battlefield experience led him to make the difficult but life-saving decision to amputate her leg.
Once stabilized, Gribbin relocated to Charlotte, NC and was admitted to OrthoCarolina’s Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs. There, she gained access to cutting-edge virtual reality therapy and other rehabilitation treatments that allowed her to walk out of the hospital after only 77 days – a milestone that typically take amputees a year or more to achieve – and returned to Birmingham with a prosthetic arm and leg.
She has since returned to school at Mountain Brook High School where she now is a junior.
Gribbin’s determination hasn’t stopped with her own recovery. When she learned that another woman was attacked by the same shark only 45 minutes before her own attack, she contacted her state representative, Rep. David Faulkner, working with him to pass the Lulu Gribbin Shark Alert System Act. The law provides for a real-time geocentric cell phone alert system for shark sightings and attacks in Alabama and has also served as a blueprint at the federal level, leading to the passage in the U.S. Senate of the bipartisan bill known as Lulu’s Law.
Gribbin also founded the Lulu Strong Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit born out of a desire to improve access to advanced prosthetics and therapeutic solutions for all amputees. For most people who have lost a limb, acclimating to a life reliant on prosthetics is an arduous process full of pain and roadblocks; the path to recovery is often limited not by will, but by outdated tools and limited resources. The foundation focuses on accelerating progress and affordability of AI-powered prosthetics, VR therapy, and other emerging technologies that restore confidence and independence to amputees.
Gribbin has spoken before the Alabama State Legislature, at TEDx Youth, been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America and Nightline, and spoken to crowds of up to 19,000 people.
Dr. Glenn Gaston is Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship Director at OrthoCarolina and Co-Director of the OrthoCarolina Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in complex limb reconstruction, nerve surgery, and innovative approaches to amputee care.
Dr. Bryan Loeffler is an orthopedic hand, shoulder, and elbow surgeon at OrthoCarolina and Co-Director of the OrthoCarolina Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs. He specializes in advanced microsurgical techniques, nerve reconstruction, and complex amputee cases. Dr. Loeffler’s research and clinical work have contributed to global advancements in limb-loss treatment.
Together, Dr. Gaston and Dr. Loeffler developed and refined Targeted Brain Rehabilitation (TBR) therapy, which is changing the way phantom limb pain is treated.
This year’s Helen Keller Lecture is sponsored by the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, the Alabama Department of Mental Health, the Helen Keller Foundation, and the Alabama State Department of Education.
