A swimmer mauled by a shark at one of Sydney’s idyllic eastern beaches has broken her silence on the attack, fighting through tears to describe her fear of leaving her daughter without a mum.
Leah Stewart, 35, was swimming laps at Coogee Beach on the morning of June 13
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The schoolteacher lost significant blood through the ordeal, with critical injuries from severe bites, lacerations and arms and leg fractures.
Stewart was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital and placed in an induced coma for 11 days while doctors carried out several surgeries, including amputating her left arm.
In an extended 60 Minutes interview to be broadcast by Nine this Sunday, Stewart revealed her first thought amid the struggle was of her 18-month-old daughter.
“It was holding onto my leg and I just thought of August,” she recalled, fighting back tears while her husband held her in support.
“And 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 not to have a mum.”
Stewart vividly remembered seeing the shark up close.
“Its face was horrific, I’ll never forget its face,” she told 60 Minutes journalist Tracy Grimshaw.
“I just thought I’ve gotta fight it. I’ve gotta do everything I can to be here.”
Stewart was awoken from her coma on June 24 and has made significant progress over the next two months, with her family supported by a generous Givealittle page set up by her brother.
It was closed yesterday after raising A$558,925 ($670,458) to help the family cover healthcare and rehabilitation costs.
In a post on the fundraising page, Stewart thanked thousands of donors for their kindness and generosity, which she said has granted them time to recover, stay at home and explore “options for further medical treatment down the road”.
“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,” she wrote.