‘I Made It’: Shark Attack Survivor Lulu Gribbin Turns Golf, Lulu’s Law and a New Foundation Into a Mission
Mountain Brook’s Lulu Gribbin lost her left hand and right leg in a 2024 shark attack. She has since taken up golf with a custom prosthesis, inspired Lulu’s Law shark alerts and started a foundation for amputees.
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. — When Lulu Gribbin woke up after her first surgery, she did not ask why. She announced a result.
“I MADE IT,” the Mountain Brook teenager said.
That phrase has since become the tone for one of Alabama’s more remarkable recovery stories. It is also why “victim” is not a word that fits her. Since losing her left hand and her right leg above the knee, Gribbin has become a golfer, a water skier, a nonprofit founder and the namesake of a law now used to warn beachgoers along Alabama’s coast.
The attack
Gribbin was 15 on June 7, 2024, when she was attacked by a shark while looking for sand dollars in waist-deep water at Seacrest Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Her injuries were life-threatening. She spent 77 days at a hospital on the Emerald Coast, according to the Lulu Strong Foundation’s account of her story.
What she learned afterward became the seed for her advocacy. Another shark attack had occurred about 90 minutes earlier, just a few miles away, on the same day.
Finding golf
Gribbin started playing golf about three months after the attack, and it soon became her main sport. Working with PGA Professional and adaptive golfer Chris Biggins at the Country Club of Birmingham, she developed modified swing techniques and helped design a custom PVC golf prosthesis attachment that was then 3D printed.
Her progress led to some memorable moments on professional golf’s biggest stages. During a practice round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, she walked the 13th hole with PGA Tour star Justin Thomas and sank a birdie putt. She also played the famous 16th hole with Rickie Fowler.
Golf has not been her only outlet. She also water skis, runs and stays involved in high school activities.
Lulu’s Law
The fact that a warning might have kept her out of the water drove Gribbin to push for change. The result in Alabama was House Bill 437, known as Lulu’s Law, which passed the Legislature and was signed by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The law works much like an Amber Alert. It is managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in coordination with local emergency management agencies in Baldwin and Mobile counties. When an unprovoked shark attack is confirmed near the shoreline, automated Wireless Emergency Alerts send real-time notifications to cell phones and emergency personnel across coastal zones, giving people a chance to get out of the water.
Supporters narrowed the measure during debate. An early version would have allowed alerts when sharks posed an “imminent danger,” but it was changed to require an unprovoked attack after some community members raised concerns about excessive alerts.
The idea also went national. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, both Alabama Republicans, introduced federal versions, and the White House announced that S. 1003 was signed into law on June 26, 2026. Britt’s office said wireless emergency alerts can now help warn nearby beachgoers about unsafe water after a shark attack.
The Lulu Strong Foundation
Gribbin has also turned to helping other amputees. She established the Lulu Strong Foundation, a nonprofit that works to get lighter-weight prosthetics to amputees faster and provides grants to restore independence and mobility.
The foundation’s first grant was $100,000 to Axolo Health, to support virtual reality therapy for phantom limb pain, a type of treatment Gribbin has said she used during her recovery. Her mother, Ann Blair Gribbin, helped found the organization and serves on its board.
Gribbin has said she wants other children to be able to have an amazing life as amputees, as she has.
Her story has received national attention, including recognition as Southern Living’s Southerner of the Year in 2025. Locally, she has been featured among the speakers at the Hargrove Foundation’s summit and gala.
What Lulu’s Law means for Gulf Coast beachgoers
For residents and visitors in Baldwin and Mobile counties, the law’s practical effect is straightforward: a cell phone alert can arrive if an unprovoked attack is confirmed near the shore. The system does not replace other warnings, including beach flags and lifeguard instructions, but it is designed to close the kind of information gap that Gribbin experienced.
Shark attacks remain rare, and the law is not intended to frighten people away from the water. It is meant to give them information quickly when it matters most.
Lulu Gribbin at a glance
- Hometown: Mountain Brook, Alabama
- Attack: June 7, 2024, at Seacrest Beach, Florida, at age 15
- Sports: Golf, water skiing and running
- Advocacy: Lulu’s Law in Alabama and at the federal level
- Nonprofit: Lulu Strong Foundation, lulustrong.com
