Woman Says Husband Is ‘Hero’ for Saving Her During Alligator Attack

A Florida doctor is praising her husband for saving her life after he rescued her from an alligator attack.

The near-fatal incident occurred on July 23, when the woman, later identified as 27-year-old Dr. Amber Perren, was boating with her husband on the South Fork portion of the Saint Lucie River, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in an initial statement. An incident report later revealed that Perren was wading in the water with their dog when the alligator came after her.

“I was sitting in about two feet of water next to the boat,” Amber, an optometrist from Palm City, told NBC affiliate WPTV.  “I leaned back to wet my hair in the two feet of water, and as I came up from wetting my hair, that’s when the gator got me.”

Her survival instincts immediately kicked in.

“I saw the gator’s head, eye to eye,” Amber told the outlet. “My mind was to get away, get away. I was just punching his head, and I was trying to run.”

The woman did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.

Her husband, Kelby Galen Perren, previously told police that he recalled Amber being “violently taken under the water, and when he pulled her up, the alligator was still attached to her arm.” 

A terrifying tug-of-war ensued. “I pulled her back, the gator pulled back, and I pulled her again, and she came loose,” Kelby told WPTV.

According to the police report, he estimated that the alligator’s head was about 2 feet in length and that the gator was about 8 feet long.

After the attack, Kelby brought his wife by boat to the Palm City Boat Ramp, where medical help was waiting for them. She was flown to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce for treatment. Amber told WPTV that she suffered several fractures and lacerations. The animal has since been captured.

“The gator got my arm. It broke both bones in my forearm and severed the radial artery,” she told the outlet. “My hand was just hanging.”

Since the near-death experience, Amber has had five surgeries and multiple skin grafts and suffers from compartment syndrome, a condition that causes painful pressure around one’s muscles, according to WPTV. She’ll require more medical treatments and occupational therapy to regain the use of her right arm. 

Despite her decreased mobility, Amber returned to her optometry practice weeks after the attack. She’s determined to enjoy her life and the water, WPTV reported. 

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The alligator attack has more firmly cemented the couple’s connection.

“She’s been optimistic through this whole thing,” Kelby said of his wife, according to WPTV. “She’s an impressive woman, and I’m lucky to be her husband.” 

Amber expressed similar gratitude, “I keep saying he’s my hero, and he saved me.”