Shark attack survivor Leah Stewart has returned to Coogee Beach for the first time since a great white mauled her, overcoming months of flashbacks and fear.
The 35-year-old was left in a coma for 10 days after the attack in June and had part of her left arm amputated below the elbow. She returned to the Sydney beach with her young daughter, August, holding her hand as they walked towards the water.
In a video shared by Ms Stewart, the primary school teacher can be seen smiling as Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten plays in the background.
She said it had taken “a lot of work” before she felt ready to revisit the place where she was seriously injured.
“Not too long ago the thought of the beach would trigger a flashback but after lots of work it felt so good to feel the water again,” she wrote.
Ms Stewart said she had not intended to touch the sand or water during her first visit back. But while standing on the grass, she realised she no longer felt fear in her chest.
“As I got closer, I focused on the cold on my toes and the little hand holding mine,” she said.
She was swimming between the flags, about 30 metres from shore, when the shark attacked her thigh and left arm on June 13. Speaking to 60 Minutes in her first interview after the incident, Ms Stewart said she was dragged underwater and believed she was going to die.
Thinking of her daughter gave her the determination to fight back. “She’s not going to have a mum. She’s going to grow up without a mum,” she recalled.
Ms Stewart said she twisted around and repeatedly punched the shark, describing the struggle as like “fighting a dinosaur” and “punching a brick wall”.
“You ugly f***er, you are not taking me away from my daughter,” she said she told the animal.
As her recovery has continued, Ms Stewart said she was gradually returning to the activities she loved and learning to live without the fear that had controlled her.
“As I heal, I’m starting to live without the fear that absolutely controlled me and come back to what I love with a deeper appreciation of the little and big things,” she said.
Her return to Coogee Beach prompted messages of support, with viewers describing her as brave and inspirational. One supporter said Ms Stewart was alive and that “that’s all that matters”, while another wrote that her daughter was lucky to have her as a mother.
A commenter in Brazil said they had followed Ms Stewart’s recovery from overseas and were celebrating her progress.
