Nearly Three Months After Shark At-tack, Leah Stewart Reveals the Brutal Reality of Her Recovery
Shark attack survivor Leah Stewart has shared a new health update as he prepares to undergo a second skin graft on her injured leg.
The 34-year-old mother revealed the wound on her leg remains open almost three months after she was attacked while swimming at Sydney’s Coogee Beach.
In a video posted to Instagram, Stewart showed followers the portable negative pressure wound therapy device (or VAC machine) that has become a constant part of her recovery.
“I’ve had one of these with me for three months. I used to have one five times this size but I’m very excited to have a smaller one now,” she said.
“It is a little machine that is connected to my leg. My leg is still an open wound at the moment. Hopefully, it will be closing soon with my second trial at a skin graft.
“For now, this machine is pulling all of the wound together and then collecting all of the excess fluid.”
Stewart said the machine had occasionally made everyday life difficult, particularly when it needed to be charged or detected movement around the wound.
“It is a little bit annoying because if you forget to charge it, you need to race home and plug yourself into a wall,” she said.
“The wound which is on my leg, it’s got a plastic all over it — if there’s any movement on the leg, it will start beeping at you if you get a bit of air going in there.
“I’m constantly being harassed by this machine, but I’m very thankful for it because it has made a huge impact on the healing of my leg.”
Stewart was swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach on the morning of June 13 when she was attacked by a shark.
Lifesavers and members of the public pulled her from the water and provided crucial first aid before emergency services arrived.
She suffered significant blood loss and fractures throughout her body, while sand and debris in her wounds posed a serious infection risk.
Emergency surgery saved Stewart’s life, but one of her arms had to be amputated. She was placed in an induced coma to assist her in recovering from her injuries.
Stewart has gradually begun speaking publicly about the attack and her survival, recently sharing a photograph from an emotional reunion with two of the lifesavers who came to her aid.
“Got to meet these absolute legends today,” she said in the post.
“Last time we met they were performing CPR and breathing for me, this time we had a big hug and got to hang out at Maroubra Surf Life Saving club.
“Thanks for being literal life savers.”
