Stewart’s famly has provided periodic updates on her condition via GoFundMe. Photo: Joshua Stewart // GoFundMe
The victim of a brutal shark encounter in Australia has shared a hopeful update. Nearly a month after the initial encounter left her in the ICU, organizers of a GoFundMe for Leah Stewart have shared the latest news on her recovery process.
On Saturday, June 13, Stewart was swimming close to shore at Coogee Beach, located outside Sydney. The 35-year-old primary school teacher was then attacked by a suspected 12-foot white shark, receiving multiple bites across her arms and legs, lacerations and fractures throughout her body, and extreme blood loss. Members of the public soon came to her aid. From there, she was taken to the intensive care unit of St. Vincent’s hospital, where she was placed on life support and underwent an arm amputation.
“It’s such a tragic situation,” her older brother Joshua Stewart told The Guardian. “Leah is so full of life, she’s so energetic, she loves the ocean, she was a keen swimmer, she was swimming in the flags, really close to the shore when it happened on a crystal-clear Saturday morning. She’d done all the right things.”
A week later, doctors were able to extubate Leah and bring her out of the induced coma. However, she was, and still is, on a long road to recovery – one which has involved numerous surgeries and extensive rehabilitation efforts.
On July 4th, her brother Joshua Stewart provided another update via GoFundMe. “We’ve been sharing some of the beautiful messages we’ve received with Leah and she’s loved them, finding inspiration from the care and love you’ve all shared,” he wrote. “Leah has had some challenging days but has found real strength from your kindness and support, and wanted to pass on a huge thank you to everyone who has shared her story, sent her uplifting messages and supported her. Since the incident Leah has had difficulty sleeping, and on those nights she’s been reading back through your messages, not only from her family and community in Australia and her whānau in New Zealand, but also from people all across the world. They’ve given her real comfort and strength…Leah is beyond overwhelmed at the amazing support she has received and that her story has resonated with so many people.”
