In Bondi Beach, Sydney, Glenn Orgias was riding the wave of his life. Literally. He was 33 years old when he was attacked by a great white shark. When he was taken to the hospital, his hand was hanging by a thread of skin that was 3 cm long.

Normally, a doctor would look at that with no solution, but Dr. Kevin Ho, a plastic surgeon at St. Vincent’s Hospital, felt that he was able to reattach the hand. Because of the patient’s age and how quickly he was brought in, Dr. Ho’s team was able to have his hand reattached and used leeches to restore blood flow.