Rockaway Shark Victim Had 5 Surgeries In 8 Days After Bite: Family

QUEENS, NY — A woman who was gruesomely bitten by a shark off Rockaway Beach needed five surgeries in eight days after the attack, which left her permanently disabled, her family said.

Tatyana Koltunyuk, 65, will remain in the hospital for at least several more weeks as doctors assess the extent of her injuries, according to GoFundMe post by her family.

The fundraiser has garnered roughly half of its $100,000 goal, which will be used to pay for Koltunyuk's care and post-trauma adjusted living expenses.

"Limitless in the love and generosity she showers upon others, my mother is an empathetic, thoughtful, and deeply proud woman who would never ask for anything, always putting others before herself," her family wrote.

"So we are asking for help on her behalf."

The Aug. 7 shark attack was the first documented in New York City since 1953, experts said.

Would-be swimmers were turned away from Rockaway Beach for a day after the attack as officials scanned the water for the fearsome fish.

But the swimmers returned as Koltunyuk stayed in the hospital ongoing surgery after surgery.

The attack came as Koltunyuk, an émigré from Ukraine, neared retirement and could take a break for the first time in her life, her family wrote.

"She talked about swimming in the ocean every day, walking around the city with a new puppy, and traveling with us," the fundraiser states. "My husband and I will do everything in our power to make her retirement as comfortable and enjoyable as we possibly can, but the road ahead will be extremely challenging for her and for our family."

Read more about the fundraiser here.