Shark attack survivor Leah Stewart has described the emotional moment she returned to the beach where a great white mauled her, confronting the flashbacks that had haunted her since the ordeal.
Ms Stewart, 35, posted a video of herself setting foot on Coogee Beach for the first time since the attack in June, which left her in a coma for 10 days and resulted in the amputation of her left arm below the elbow.
After months of sleepless nights, distressing memories and a gruelling recovery, Ms Stewart summoned the courage to revisit the beach with her young daughter, August, beside her.
In the emotional video, the primary school teacher smiled as she walked towards the water holding August’s hand, while Natasha Bedingfield’s song Unwritten played in the background.
Ms Stewart said returning to the scene of the shark attack had taken “a lot of work” and preparation.
“Not too long ago the thought of the beach would trigger a flashback but after lots of work it felt so good to feel the water again,” she wrote in the caption.
“I hadn’t planned to touch the water or sand for the first time yesterday, I was standing on the grass and realised I didn’t feel fear in my chest.
“As I got closer, I focused on the cold on my toes and the little hand holding mine.”
The mother who nearly died in a great white shark attack at a Sydney beach has overcome months of haunting flashbacks to return to the place where she almost lost her life
Leah Stewart, 34, shared footage of her first return to Coogee Beach since the June attack, which left her in a coma for two weeks and led to the amputation of part of her left arm
As her recovery progressed, Ms Stewart said she was gradually confronting the trauma and finding her way back to the activities and experiences she once loved.
“As I heal, I’m starting to live without the fear that absolutely controlled me and come back to what I love with a deeper appreciation of the little and big things,” she said.
Ms Stewart was swimming between the flags, around 30 metres from shore, when the shark attacked her thigh and left arm on June 13.
She told 60 Minutes she was pulled beneath the surface and believed she was going to die. Then she thought about her daughter.
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“She’s not going to have a mum. She’s going to grow up without a mum,” Ms Stewart said in her first interview since the attack.
“I twisted myself around, and I just started punching it over and over and over again, just punch, punch, punch.
“It was like fighting a dinosaur, it was so big. It was like punching a brick wall.
“I was like, ‘You ugly f***er, you are not taking me away from my daughter.’”
The video prompted an outpouring of support, with users filling the comments with messages praising Ms Stewart’s courage and resilience.
“You’re a brave girl and you’re alive, that’s all that matters really,” one person wrote.
During her recovery, Ms Stewart said she was gradually moving beyond the trauma of the shark attack and learning to embrace life again
Ms Stewart was swimming between the flags, about 30 metres from shore, when the shark sunk its razor-sharp teeth into her thigh and arm on June 13
Many flooded the comments section with messages of support, with some describing Ms Stewart as an inspiration
‘You are strong and so inspiring Leah and August is so lucky to have you as her mum,’ a second said.
One even said they followed her journey from overseas.
‘Please know that here in Brazil, you have friends who, even from afar, followed your struggle and now celebrate your victory,’ they said.
‘We are constantly keeping your recovery and your healing from the trauma caused by this incident in our prayers!’
