A South Florida mother and father are speaking out after a family vacation to the Bahamas turned into a nightmare for their 9-year-old son who was severely injured in an attack by a pack of dogs.

Beau Brattain was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard to Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he continues to recover from the July 28 attack.

His parents say that, given the severity of his injuries, he is defying the odds and making progress every day, but his physical and emotional recovery could take years.

The attack left Beau with injuries across most of his body, including deep gashes on his arms and a scalp injury that his father described as devastating.

“I looked at his head and I noticed that like this much of his scalp was missing completely,” his mother said. “That’s when I really started to freak out because one thing was these bites. The other thing was this exposed scalp, tissue, nerves, brain…all the things are like a nightmare. An image that now that my son is on his road to recovery, I can slowly get out of my head, but it makes me shake every time I think about it.”

Beau’s parents, Michael Brattain and Aliette Trelles, said there was no time to panic during the attack. Instead, they focused on keeping their son alive until help arrived.

“It was the fight to keep him alive, to keep him awake,” his father said. “Do not close your eyes, do not fall asleep through the entire endeavor until we got here.”

Despite his injuries, Beau remained alert during the flight to Jackson Memorial Hospital. His parents said he described what happened to doctors and asked heartbreaking questions.

“Why did I deserve this? Like, I’m sorry God, is this how I’m supposed to die?” Beau asked, according to his mother. “And all I kept telling him was, ‘You’re not going to die, Beau. You’re not going to die. You’re going to be fine, Beau.’”

Authorities have not released full details of the attack, but the Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested and charged a man they say failed to control his dogs. He faces several charges.

Beau’s parents say their focus now is getting him the best possible care.

They have created a GoFundMe campaign with a $3 million goal, saying that amount is based on the latest estimates from the hospital for Beau’s medical care.

“It’s endless, endless how far this has reached and how grateful my husband, my family, my daughter, my parents,” Beau’s mother said. “Our son is alive because of every single person that has helped us up until this point.”

So far, Beau has had three surgeries. He’s scheduled to have surgery every Monday going forward.