Shark attack victim Leah Stewart wakes up from her coma in miraculous update – as her brother reveals her first words
The mother, who was fighting for her life after being attacked by a shark, was brought out of her coma and her first words to her family were revealed.
Leah Stewart, 35, was attacked by a great white shark while swimming at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on June 13.
He was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition and had his arm amputated, among other surgeries.
Ms Stewart’s family have been providing updates on her recovery, with her brother Joshua sharing an incredible message on Wednesday.
‘After a week of life support and repeated surgeries, doctors managed to extubate Leah and reduce her level of sedation, briefly bringing her out of a coma,’ he said.
‘This allowed Leah to share her first words, ‘I love you’, with her mother and partner Fernando, who has been with her in intensive care since the incident.
‘His first thoughts were of his daughter August and he wanted to check if she was okay.
‘This is much faster than anyone expected and to us it feels like a miracle and everything many of us have been hoping and praying for over the past week.’
The mother, who was fighting for her life after being attacked by a shark, was brought out of her coma and her first words were revealed to her family.
Ms Stewart was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition and had her arm amputated, among other surgeries (pictured, where a closed beach sign had been erected following the attack)
Ms Stewart still has a long recovery ahead of her as her mother remains in the intensive care unit.
“He had five days of surgery last week and is scheduled for further surgeries today and further surgeries in the coming weeks,” Joshua said.
‘Leah has a long road ahead of her and she is still in critical care, but this is a very positive first step and gives us hope for Leah’s long-term recovery.
‘Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who continues to support Leah through your care, prayers, love and generosity.’
Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised in the fundraiser to help with Ms. Stewart’s rehabilitation, prosthetics and medical expenses, including $488,000.
One closed-Who was the lifeguard on duty? He rushed to help Ms Stewart the day she was attacked by a shark while paddleboarding in Coogee.
Charlie Verco pulled him onto the paddle board, where he passed out as he made his way back to shore.
He received multiple blood transfusions on the beach before being flown to St Vincent’s.
Leah Stewart, 35, was mauled by a great white shark while swimming at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on June 13.
The primary school teacher, who worked at Hurstville Adventist School, was later placed on life support.
Coogee Beach was not being monitored by shark surveillance drones when the attack occurred because the area was below the flight path.
Authorities were later granted an exemption for drones to temporarily monitor shark activity.
The shark in question is believed to be 3 to 4 meters long.
One person said he knew him about 10 years ago when he was working as a teacher at Sydney Adventist School in Auburn.
‘My friend and I were watching Australian Survivor and discussing the finale,’ they wrote.
‘Miss Stewart overheard, asked if we were talking about Survivor and immediately said, ‘Don’t tell me who won, I haven’t seen it yet.’
He later said he wanted to join Survivor; 10 years later, he is now a survivor.
‘He will overcome the challenges and come out on top. ‘I wish you, him and your family nothing but the best,’ they wrote.
more to come
