A 34-year-old teacher and mother of one who lost her arm in a shark attack has described the moment the animal clamped onto her leg and the immediate fear for her young daughter.
Leah Stewart was swimming at Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs when she encountered a shark on June 13. As the animal attacked, Stewart said her thoughts turned instantly to her one-year-old daughter, August.
Thoughts of her daughter
“It was holding onto my leg, then I just thought of August,” she said in her first media interview with 60 Minutes Australia since the attack. “I thought, 'She's not going to have a mum. She's going to grow up without a mum.'”
“I couldn't handle that. I didn't want her to not have a mum.”
Critical condition and recovery
Stewart was left with life-threatening injuries and spent more than two weeks in a critical condition in hospital. Her injuries were so severe that doctors were eventually forced to amputate her arm.
Recalling the moment she saw the shark, Stewart said its face was “horrific” and she would “never forget it.” “It was a monster,” she said.
Road to independence
Providing an update, she said she now sees a way back to something resembling normal life. In a statement on a GoFundMe fundraiser set up to cover her medical treatment, Stewart said: “After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I'm so happy that I've progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this.”
“I've been actively trying to do everything in my power to get back to some sort of normal life. I still have a long way to go, but my recovery has been remarkable, and a huge part of that is because of the absolute army of love, support, prayers and encouragement surrounding my family and me from all over the world.”
Nearly £300,000 was raised in the fundraiser before it was closed to donations. She added: “I want to say the biggest thank you for looking after me, for caring for my family, and for being generous enough to help my family through this. What you've offered has given us enough to recover, to stay in our home, and to give us options for further medical treatment down the road.”
“As I get better, I know I'll make something of this second chance and aim to give back even more in generosity, care and love.”
