Leah Stewart, a 35-year-old mother who survived a great white shark attack at Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs, has spoken her first words after being brought out of an induced coma, her family revealed. Her brother Joshua shared an emotional statement on Wednesday, detailing the milestone.
First Words: 'I Love You'
After a week on life support and repeated surgeries, doctors were able to extubate Stewart and reduce her sedation to briefly wake her from the induced coma. 'This allowed Leah to share her first words, “I love you”, with her mum and partner Fernando who have been by her side in ICU since the incident,' Joshua said. Her first thoughts were for her daughter August, wanting to ensure she was okay. 'This is a lot faster than anyone expected, and for us this feels like a miracle,' he added.
Critical Condition and Surgeries
Stewart was attacked on June 13 while swimming. She was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital in critical condition, where she underwent an arm amputation and multiple surgeries. 'She has undergone five days of surgery over the past week, and is scheduled for further surgeries today and more through the coming weeks,' Joshua noted. She remains in intensive care and faces a long recovery. 'Leah has a long road ahead and still remains in critical care, but this is such a positive first step and gives us hope for Leah's long-term recovery,' he said.
Community Support and Fundraising
A fundraising campaign to support Stewart's rehabilitation, prosthetics, and medical costs has raised $488,000, with hundreds of thousands of dollars contributed. The attack occurred while an off-duty lifeguard, Charlie Verco, was paddleboarding nearby. He pulled Stewart onto his board and returned to shore, where emergency efforts began. She received multiple blood transfusions on the beach before being airlifted to hospital and placed on life support.
Background and Aftermath
Stewart, a primary school teacher at Hurstville Adventist School, previously worked at Sydney Adventist School in Auburn. Former colleagues remembered her fondly; one acquaintance recalled her enthusiasm for the TV show Australian Survivor, saying, 'She then said she wanted to go on Survivor. Well, 10 years later, she is a survivor.' Coogee Beach was not under active shark drone surveillance at the time due to its location beneath a flight path, though authorities later granted an exemption for temporary monitoring. The shark involved is believed to have been between three and four metres long.
