Ten days after she was placed in an induced coma following a shark attack at a Sydney beach, Australian woman Leah Stewart has briefly awakened and spoken to her family.
Stewart, who is recovering in hospital, told her loved ones “I love you” on Tuesday, her brother shared in an update posted to a fundraising page.
“After a week of life-support and repeat[ed] surgeries, doctors were able to extubate Leah and reduce her level of sedation to bring her out of the induced coma for a short period of time,” he wrote. “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.”
He said Stewart’s immediate concern was her daughter, August, and that she asked whether the child was OK.
Leah Stewart asked about her daughter after briefly waking from her induced coma on Tuesday. (GoFundMe)
Stewart, a mother and teacher in her mid-30s, has undergone five surgeries since the attack, including the amputation of one arm.
She was airlifted in critical condition on the morning of June 13 after being bitten on the arms and legs at Coogee Beach, a popular weekend spot in Sydney.
Stewart’s first words to her family were an expression of love. (GoFundMe)
Stewart was swimming near shore while a friend watched her daughter on the beach when the attack happened, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
“This is a lot faster than anyone expected, and for us this feels like a miracle and is everything so many of us have hoped and prayed for over the past week,” Stewart wrote on a fundraising page.
Police and emergency personnel at the scene after a shark attack at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia, June 13. (Reuters/Hollie Adams)
He added, “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.”
Stewart’s attack came after three men have been killed by sharks in Australia since May. A 12-year-old boy was also killed by a shark in Sydney Harbor in January.
