Overview
- The attack, which happened on June 14, 2016, killed 2-year-old Lane Graves after an alligator dragged him from the shoreline at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and his body was recovered the next day.
- Matt and Melissa Graves previewed a nine-minute tribute to their son on TODAY and plan to post the full video on the Lane Thomas Foundation website on June 14 to mark the anniversary.
- The Lane Thomas Foundation, created by the Graveses after the tragedy, has provided financial help to about 200 families so parents can afford time off work and basic expenses during pediatric transplant care.
- Disney installed a lighthouse memorial near Seven Seas Lagoon in 2017, and reporting shows that by 2021 roughly 250 alligators had been removed from Disney property as part of wildlife management efforts.
- More than 2,200 children remain on the U.S. organ transplant waiting list, and the family's fundraising, public outreach and celebrity backing aim to ease families' financial burden and raise donation awareness.