A 55-year-old woman from Quebec was only trying to protect herself using her hands when a bull shark bit them completely off as she holidayed in the Turks and Caicos.
Al Chevarie, the victim's brother in law, detailed the gruesome attack in a gofundme page.
"While on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation, my sister-in-law and her husband, my brother, lived what can only be described as a nightmare," Chevarie wrote.
"After leaving the beach to join her husband, in only hip deep clear water, a seven-foot bull shark came to my sister-in-law and bumped into her legs. The shark then circled around and bit her thigh. Not satisfied, the shark came back again and when she put both hands in front of her to protect herself, the shark cut off both of her hands, one at mid forearm and the other at the wrist."
"Her husband, having rushed back to help, then managed to wrestle away the shark and stayed between her and the shark until she walked out of the water and collapsed on the beach."
Chevarie said following first aid on the beach, his sister-in-law was transported to a local hospital for initial treatment but had to be flown back to Canada by air ambulance to undergo further surgery and recovery.
"My brother served our country in the Canadian Armed forces for over 30 years with tours in Kuwait, twice in Afghanistan, Golan Heights, Haiti and Bosnia. He served our country with pride; it's our turn to help them," he said.
"This is something that has completely altered their life in the blink of an eye. I ask, if you can, to please help them; they will need a lot of support to get through this. Any and all contributions will be greatly appreciated."
The gofundme has so far raised $25,000 of a needed $35,000.