Leah Stewart, 35, spent 10 days in an induced coma after being mauled by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee Beach — the first attack there in more than a century.
The mother was swimming between the flags, about 30 metres from the shore, when the suspected white shark struck on June 13. She suffered severe injuries to her arms and left lower leg, multiple fractures and extensive blood loss.
Ms Stewart was pulled from the water by an off-duty lifeguard and other lifesavers, who brought her to the beach on a rescue board. Tourniquets were applied before she was taken by ambulance to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition.
Her family said she underwent several operations, including the amputation of one arm, and required extensive ongoing care and rehabilitation.
Leah Stewart’s recovery after the Coogee Beach shark attack
About 11 days after the attack, Ms Stewart was briefly brought out of the induced coma and was able to speak to her husband and mother. Her first words were reported to be: “I love you.”
She also asked about her young daughter, August, according to her brother.
More than two months after the attack, Ms Stewart said her recovery was continuing and described it as “remarkable”, although she acknowledged that she still had a long way to go.
Writing on a fundraising page, she said she felt she had been given a “second chance at life” and thanked the public for raising more than $500,000 to support her treatment and rehabilitation.
At the time of the attack, New South Wales police said nearby beaches, including Coogee, Clovelly and Bronte, were closed while emergency services responded. The incident also led to temporary approval for shark-spotting drones to operate over Coogee Beach, which lies close to Sydney Airport’s flight path.
