Eleonora Boi, wife of former NBA star Danilo Gallinari, has close brush with death after a shark attack
The Italian journalist, who is six months pregnant, shared the terrifying experience on her Instagram page. Her progress is positive.
The dangers of the beach became a reality during the last visit to the coast for former NBA player Danilo Gallinari and his wife, sports journalist Eleonora Boi. The couple were peacefully enjoying a swim in the waters of Puerto Rico when, suddenly, she was attacked by a shark.
Boi recounted the events in an interview on Good Morning America. A traumatic event from which she is recovering and happily, already making good progress. The situation was even more dangerous as Eleonora is six months pregnant. Fortunately, a scan showed that her unborn baby is also in perfect condition.
Shark attack on Carolina Beach
“I’m traumatized,” she recalled. Eleonora had waded out into the sea with the waves up to her waist when she felt a shock to her thigh. “I thought it was a huge jellyfish, but it wasn’t a jellyfish. It was a shark...” she recalled. Gallinari, who was with his son, rushed to his wife and daughter.
Mystery woman comes to the rescue
Eleonora’s savior was a woman whose identity has yet to be revealed. On the shore, the woman reacted quickly, applying a tourniquet to cut off circulation to the wound. “I remember crying, saying I didn’t want to die and that my baby was safe. I was so desperate. Thanks to this woman because she was an angel; she helped me so much.”
Once at the hospital, Boi underwent several tests to assess the level of damage she had suffered, as the bite itself put her at risk of infection. Fortunately, tests concluded that there were no traces of infections and that her baby was fine.
Common shark species in Puerto Rico
- Caribbean Reef Shark
- Blacktip Reef Shark
- Nurse Shark
- Silky Shark
- Antilles Catshark
- Whale Shark
The journalist and her husband are still deeply shaken by the episode. “I‘ve got to be honest, it’s not easy. When I remember it, I’m still scared. It was the worst day of my life, but now all I have to do is recover from the shock and try to forgive the great friend who betrayed me,” she concluded.
Shark attacks in Puerto Rico are relatively rare - there have been 35 unprovoked bites in the Caribbean region since 2000, four of which have been fatal.
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