Leah Stewart, the Australian teacher and mother who lost an arm following a shark attack at Sydney’s Coogee Beach, has been turning to messages of encouragement from around the globe during restless nights as she faces a difficult recovery, her family said.
“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,” her brother, Joshua Stewart, wrote Sunday in an update on the family’s GoFundMe page.
“Leah has had some challenging days but has found real strength from your kindness and support,” he continued.
As Stewart works through the early stages of recovery, sleep has been difficult, and she has drawn comfort from the outpouring of support from relatives, friends, her community and strangers.
“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,” he wrote, using the Maori term for family. “They’ve given her real comfort and strength.”
Stewart, a devoted teacher and mother to a 1-year-old daughter, was attacked on June 13 while taking a morning swim near the shore and within the flags at Coogee Beach, according to her family. She sustained critical injuries, including several bites to her arms and legs, deep cuts, fractures and severe blood loss.
In the days that followed, Stewart was placed on life support, kept in a medically induced coma and taken through multiple operations. Doctors ultimately had to amputate one of her arms, and her family said additional surgeries were planned as medical teams continued efforts to keep her alive and stabilize her condition.
After doctors eased her sedation, Stewart woke from a 10-day coma and told her mother and her partner, Fernando, “I love you.” Her brother said then that her first concern was for her young daughter, August.
“Leah has a long road ahead,” Joshua Stewart wrote after she briefly woke, calling the moment a hopeful first step in her recovery.
Joshua Stewart said the family wanted to apologize for delays in responding to supporters, explaining they have had issues with the GoFundMe messaging system.
“Leah is beyond overwhelmed at the amazing support she has received and that her story has resonated with so many people,” he wrote. “Thank you!”
The fundraiser was launched to help Stewart, her partner and their young daughter through what her family described as a heartbreaking situation. The money will support her recovery, prosthetics, rehabilitation, ongoing care and the major adjustments she will need as she works toward returning to life as a mother.
Her family also thanked the lifesavers, first responders, helicopter crew and medical team at St. Vincent’s Hospital who helped care for Stewart after the attack.
“As a family we are shocked and devastated that this could happen to our beloved partner, daughter and mother who is so full of life and energy,” Joshua Stewart wrote.
