Young shark attack victim moving to Charlotte for rehab

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Adamson said Yow began walking with assistance on July 8 after her skin grafts had healed sufficiently and that she's now walking on her own.

STORY: 12-year-old girl walks for first time after shark attack on NC coast

Yow was one of two people bitten by sharks on June 14. She lost her left arm below the elbow and suffered a leg injury from the attack, which happened off Oak Island.

Her parents said in a statement that the move to rehab is "a giant leap forward" toward taking their daughter home.

The Yow family released the following statement:

Today marks 30 days since our lives changed forever—and today our family takes a giant leap toward our ultimate goal of returning home as Kiersten leaves UNC for an intensive, inpatient rehabilitation program. Kiersten’s doctors have told us to expect to be in Charlotte at least three weeks, but determined as ever, Kiersten insists she’ll complete the program in two. That’s our girl!

As we prepare for next steps, we want to express how grateful we are to everyone at UNC. We’ve had up and down days, but we can’t say enough about how well we’ve been cared for as an entire family. We arrived at UNC shell shocked and bewildered but leave Chapel Hill strong and optimistic about what lies ahead.

We also want to thank the public yet again for their prayers and support of our family during this difficult time. This experience, though traumatic, has shown us the true kindness and generosity of the human spirit. Having friends and strangers alike rally behind Kiersten has made the experience easier and is something we will never forget!

We are still not ready to talk about our experience publicly but will continue to update our Kiersten Yow Support page on Facebook for those interested in following our journey.