LEE COUNTY, Fla.- After an alligator took his arm nearly a week ago, 17-year-old Fred Langdale is now out of the hospital and back home with his family.

The self-proclaimed outdoors-man took his first steps outside today as he left Lee Memorial Hospital.

He said it felt good to finally be out of the hospital room, and was just looking forward to getting some sleep and getting back to the life he loves.

"As soon as my arm heals, I'm gonna go back swimming in the river. That's probably the first thing on my list," he says.

Langdale was swimming in the Caloosahatchee River near his Moore Haven home last Monday when the gator attacked.

Langdale has said he offered his arm so the gator wouldn't get his torso, and he's glad it was him and not one of his friends who met the animal face to face.

He will be back at the hospital in about 2 weeks to have his stitches taken out, then he'll be fitted for a prosthetic arm about 4 to 6 weeks later.

He says he's not too worried about what happens next.  "It was my biggest fear but now after it happened, I'm like, I can still do this, still do that, won't slow me down. Playing X-box, that's probably about it, everything else I've been looking up on the computer, I can do with a prosthetic."

Family, friends and even strangers have showered the 17-year-old with support and gifts. Langdale says he's thankful. "It feels pretty good that a lot of people are chipping in to help me out so I can get back to doing what I love," he says.

Langdale's father Jyles Langdale says, "I'm more proud of my son right now than if he had a doctorate degree right now, he's a very special son and a brave young man."

Fred Langdale says he's still not afraid of another encounter with a gator. "I still have my left arm," he says.

Langdale's mother says the Shriners group in Fort Myers has offered to donate a prosthetic arm for her son and they hope to get different attachments for it as well.

If you'd like to help the family, look under hotlinks on our website.

So far, they've raised more than $13,000.