Paige Winter is the newsmaker of the year

At 17, Paige Winter has gone through trauma that most of us will never experience but that doesnt make her any less of an American teen. She loves hanging out with her boyfriend and hugging her ferret and her bedroom screams teen over her bed one of those bug-eyed aliens is pushing his way through the wall above the left side of her bed, while Iron Mans gloved hand sticks through wall on the other side, his signature palm-light ready to pierce the darkness.

Her face is tastefully salted with glitter, her hair is festooned with tiny butterfly clips and shaded in bands of white, blue and black.

A typical teenager. Except for the Hollywood star thing. How many New Bern teens get phone calls and texts from Robert Downey Jr.?

On June 2, 2019, Paige was swimming near the Fort Macon Park when she was attacked by one of the very animals she advocates to protect. A shark her doctors would later say it was likely a bull shark grabbed hold of her. As the shark thrashed, Winter tried desperately to pry its mouth open while her father, Charlie Winter, grabbed hold of the shark and began pounding it with his fist.

The shark let go and swam away, but Paige was left with severe lacerations to her left hand and leg, her abdomen and torso. In the end she lost two of her left-hand fingers and her leg. To this day she is recovering from repeated operations on her hand aimed at helping her heal and gain mobility.

The event didnt lessen her love of marine life. Six days later, from her bed at Vidant Hospital, she was reminding the nation that it was World Oceans Day and called for protection and respect of the marine life who call our sandy swimming holes their home.

A visit to her home shows she holds no grudge: reminders of our cartilaginous friends are all over her room: toy sharks with gaping jaws share her bed and her oft-repeated mantra Sharks are people too! is inscribed on an plaque that sets on her bedroom fireplace mantle. Even the sock on her prosthetic leg reflect both her love of environment and her sense of humor: it is a shark that seems to be gobbling up the shiny metal shaft that is now her lower leg.

About that Robert Downey Jr. thing: Paige is a huge fan of the actor, known for his portrayals of Tony Stark/Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Back in June when she was still in the hospital, and national news and television shows were following her stories, one station took notice of this and contacted the actor.

Downey Jr. responded by putting together a video to send along to her, during which he invited her to become the North Carolina representative of his Footprint Coalition a foundation aiming to use robots and nanotechnology to clean up the planet. He followed this up by Facetiming her, and the two have been in touch ever since.

We text all the time now, Paige says. And phone calls? Yes. The last time, I was on a date with my boyfriend, she said. She said she and the star are still working to make her representation of the coalition happen. Hes so nice and excited about everything, she said.

Like a dark version of winning big in the lottery, Paige has had to deal with people coming out of the woodwork, claiming to be her very-close friend. She recalls one boy, an acquaintance, but I didnt really like him, who, she says, was telling people stories like he had been there, like he knew everything about it. She said other acquaintances that she only slightly knew began acting like they were best friends. I still show them kindness anyway, she says. Its okay, its not really a big deal.

She said that her teachers have always been friendly to her but she has noticed, since June, they They kind of treat me a little bit different, somehow theyre extra interested in me.

The press attention overwhelmed her at first, but it has eased off a great deal. But her dreams of one day becoming a singing star like Ariana Grande -- have made handling media easier.

The only thing that bothers me is how easy it is to find out where I live, she says. She goes out of her way to be quiet about her address she is careful about social sites she goes to or letting anyone list her address. When she talks to out-of-state people or groups, she identifies her home only as North Carolina.

Still, its so easy to find out, she says.

Helping her through the media spotlights and the close friends she barely knows are her family and long-time friends. I have a boyfriend, hes pretty cool, she says. He aint worried about nothing. I have a best friend, whos perfect.

She has a younger sister she is close to and a brother. He is not my blood brother, she adds, but he always comes around. He was with me when it happened. He deserves brother status. Her dad, she adds, is a frigging hero.

Asked if she sees her life as ever getting back to normal, she takes mild offense: it is normal.

This is a new normal, she insists. I knew nothing would ever be the same again. (But) I think Ive come really far.

She has been recognized as patient of the year in an Atlanta ceremony by the MedEvac Foundation and has dined with the MedEvac crew that flew her to Vidant. She has mostly put the June attack behind her (though she does not see any plunges at the beach in her immediate future).

She is still active in theater and chorus with the high school she has an ensemble part in Cinderella in which she even handles some dances. Im speeding along with the prosthetics, she adds a gift of East Carolina Brace and Limbs In a few weeks Ill be able to have the stitches out of (my hand) and work with robotic fingers. The robotic fingers will be able to read the movement of the tendons that once attached to her missing fingers, and mimic the actions her own would have made.

On top of it all she will soon have her own service dog from Highland Canine of Harmony, NC. A labradoodle, she has chosen to name it Otis, a name she connects with cows, her favorite animals (sorry, sharks).

I have moments where I kind of freak out mentally, and he will be trained for that, Paige says of the bovinely-named dog. He will also assist with her stability when she is moving about on her prosthesis. Hes so cute, she adds. He has curly hair.

About those moments: it is part of that New Normal, a part that her friends accept. My friends from the beginning the theater kids they have never questioned when I get stressed. They understand.

I mostly have crazy adventures (now), she says. Im really busy.

Oddly enough, she says, a lot of people forget that I am 17, she said. People seemed surprised when she was excited when she was nominated for homecoming queen (she didnt win, but she said the girl who did was beautiful and deserved it). Im a teen, she says, and happily admits, Im not mature about everything.

She has learned a lot about sharks, since the attack, she said and, more importantly, she has learned a lot about herself. Being you is more important than being the image of you that you think people want to see. Before I got hurt I had been sad, and felt unjustified in being sad, she said. She did things to look, and maybe force herself to feel, more chipper. But now I have those moments when Im sad, and I know that its okay, she says. I dont have to be this upbeat person constantly.

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Paige Winter is newsmaker of the year - New Bern Sun Journal