A 25-year-old North Shore man who lost his lower leg in a shark attack is on the road to recovery.

“It’s a day by day process,” said Colin Cook during a news conference held at Queen’s Medical Center.

Cook is scheduled to be discharged today from Queen’s and will transfer to rehabilitation for two weeks. Thereafter, he is expected to return to the mainland for a few months and plans to return to Hawaii to resume his surfboard manufacturing business.

Cook recounted the attack that occurred on the morning of Oct. 9. “It happened so fast,” he said.

Cook was sitting on his surfboard when he was attacked by a 13-foot foot tiger shark at Leftovers, a popular North Shore surf spot. The shark grabbed his left leg and pulled him backward off his surfboard. Cook tried to pull himself back up to his board as the shark attempted to pull him underwater.

The shark severed his left leg below the knee, but doctors performed an amputation above the knee because of tissue damage. Cook also lost a third of his middle finger on his left hand as he fought off the shark while punching the shark repeatedly with his right hand.

He called out to paddleboarder Keoni Borwthorpe for help, paddled toward him and climbed on his back. “Definitely was like an angel, sent from heaven,” said Cook of Borwthorpe.

Friends have set up a GoFundMe online fundraising account on behalf of Cook’s family to help with medical expenses and a prosthetic leg. As of 8 a.m. today, donations have reached approximately $53,500, surpassing the $50,000 goal.

Close friend Brendan Prior said, “Hopefully, it’ll keep going pass the goal.”

Of the overwhelming outpour of support, Cook said, “I just can’t thank everybody enough.”