A 10-year-old Colorado child is in the ICU after being brutally attacked by a shark earlier this month while on vacation in Mexico, according to his family. 

On March 17, Dillon Armijo told Denver7 news that a shark bit him on the leg when he was with his family at a beach in Cancun. He described the terrifying experience by saying that he went to the beach and wanted to swim or jump in waves, and then, five minutes after that, a shark just came into a wave and bit his leg.

According to the publication, a lifeguard, his mother, and his elder brother pulled Dillon from the sea. After spending four days in a Mexican hospital, he was then flown to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. 

After having undergone many surgeries, Dillon is expected to fully recover. His mother, Abby, told Denver7 that they were very, very happy that they were able to get her son back to the United States and bring him home to do the last three surgeries.

Dillon will need extensive physical therapy before being released from the hospital and will need to relearn how to walk.

Dillon’s mother added that considering everything he’s gone through, he has done wonderfully. The family has set up a GoFundMe to assist with the unanticipated medical expenses. Of the $20,000 target, it has raised more than $17,800 as of March 30. 

Shark attacks are common along Mexico’s scenic coastline. In January of this year, a diver was beheaded by a great white shark off the coast of Sonora, on the west coast. The diver, who was dressed in a wetsuit, may have been mistaken for a seal, according to experts.