Coogee Shark Attack Victim’s Family Break Silence as New Recovery Update Emerges
The Sydney hospital where a young mother is recovering after a shark attack has shared an update on behalf of her family.
Leah Stewart’s condition is expected to remain as it is — life-threatening but stable — for some time, it said.
The 35-year-old mother, and deputy principal at Hurstville Adventist School, was mauled by a great white while swimming between the flags with friends at Sydney’s Coogee Beach on June 13.
“Leah remains in a critical but stable condition, and it is expected this will remain her condition for some time,” St Vincent’s Hospital said on behalf of Stewart’s family on Monday.
“There is a long road ahead for her and her family.”
Stewart suffered bites to her arms and legs, significant blood loss and fractures throughout her body during the attack.
She has now undergone multiple surgeries, including for the amputation of one of her arms.
Given the extensive open wounds contaminated with sand and debris, the risk of infection is extreme.
The shark attack has garnered national interest, with almost half a million dollars donated to support Stewart and her family.
Thousands paddle out in support
At least 1000 people joined a swim-out, led by Coogee Surf Life Saving Club and Randwick City Council, with thousands more gathering on the beach to show their support for Stewart on Sunday.
Surveillance drones, lifeguards on jet skis, inflatable rescue boats and 20 rescue board paddlers watched over the swimmers to keep them safe.
Surf Life Saving NSW chief Steven Pearce, who joined the swim-out, said there was no doubt the enhanced safety measures helped reassure those scared of returning to the beach.
Pearce said the swim-out “really amplified what the Australian community is all about.”
Local MP and active lifesaver Marjorie O’Neill added that, “for most people in our community, the water is our place where we get reprieve, it’s a safe space … at the end of the day it is where you go to wash off what’s happened.”
“So what happened to Leah last week has shaken our community.
“So it was an event to bring us together, get us back in the water and wrap our arms around each other and around Leah and her family and raise some money for them too.”
