"It went almost to my heel, but went in at an angle."
Ten-year-old J.D. Delesline points to where a stingray sank an eight-inch barb into his foot. Three inches deep.
"I didn't know it was a stingray. I thought it was a bone 'cause it was white," said Delesline.
It happened while he was walking on Fort De Soto Beach with his family.
Walking one minute, then bang, and J.D., being precocious, knew he needed to get to a doctor.
"I was crying because I didn't know what it was. I thought it was very poisonous or something," said Delesline.
J.D.'s family slammed their 35-foot RV into drive and raced to All Children's Hospital where doctors cut open his foot and dug out the piece of the barb that broke off in his flesh.
The story hit social media and created some fear for tourists. Stingrays are common in the Gulf in the summer. Don't be afraid, be smart.
"We want all of our visitors to know to shuffle your feet in the water, that scares them away. They're not there to hurt anybody," said Chris Steinocher, president of St. Pete Chamber of Commerce.
J.D. now knows this and sends this warning to other beachgoers.
"If you're going swimming, make sure you can see the ground and watch where you're stepping."
J.D.'s going to be off his feet only a few more days. The barb was sent to a pathology lab to be tested for bacteria, but even then they wont throw it out. J.D. wants it as a souvenir.
