"There's no use in me just moping and complaining. Because it's not going to bring back my arm," Hunter Treschl said.
Hunter Treschl was attacked by a shark while vacationing with his family in North Carolina in June 2015. His left arm was later amputated.
"It kind of hit my arm. That was the first time I saw it — when it was biting up my left arm," Treschl said while recovering at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
SEE MORE: The Florida Coast Is Full Of Sharks And Scientists Want To Know Why
One year after the attack, Newsy's partners at KMGH report the teenager, who will be applying to colleges soon, has become an advocate for amputees.
He's working with a community platform called Project REACH, which is part of The Limb Preservation Foundation.
"Most if not all amputees I've talked to have had similar experiences, where they've kind of been down for a while and they've realized that they can still live life to its fullest and they can still live the life they want to live," Treschl said.
There were 59 unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S. last year, according to the University of Florida, which keeps a record of all reported shark attacks.
That's a new record for the country, which saw the most attacks in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. The previous record was 53 unprovoked attacks in 2012.
Music provided courtesy of APM Music.
