A 34-year-old Australian woman who was severely injured in a suspected shark attack in Sydney earlier this month briefly awoke from a medically induced coma this week after undergoing several surgeries, her family said.
Leah Stewart, a teacher and mother of a one-year-old baby, was taken to hospital in critical condition on June 13 after she was injured in a shark attack, police said in a statement.
According to a written message on a GoFundMe page set up by Stewart’s brother, Josh, she sustained multiple injuries to her arms and legs, resulting in extreme blood loss, several bone fractures and the surgical amputation of her arm.
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Stewart has undergone five operations since the attack and is scheduled to have more, according to her brother.
After over a week in a medically induced coma, doctors were able to extubate Stewart for a short period, during which she awoke and told her family, including her mother and partner, “I love you,” Josh wrote in an update on Tuesday, adding that she also asked if her one-year-old daughter, August, was OK.
“This is a lot faster than anyone expected, and for us this feels like a miracle and is everything so many of us have hoped and prayed for over the past week,” her brother wrote.
“Leah remains in ICU and will continue to require this high level of care and support for some time. She has undergone five days of surgery over the past week, and is scheduled for further surgeries today and more through the coming weeks,” the statement continued.
Stewart was swimming close to the shore when she was mauled and was pulled out of the water by members of the public who administered first aid before emergency services arrived, according to police.
Volunteer lifeguard Charlie Verco was paddleboarding nearby and was among those who helped bring Stewart to shore, according to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Nearly AU$500,000 has been raised in support of Leah Stewart and her family.
Since the incident, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has ruled out the possibility of culling great white sharks, but not bull sharks, ABC said.
“They’re not a protected species and we’re currently undertaking a head count [to see] whether there’s been an increase in the harbour as a result of a healthier harbour and more fish stocks within that tributary [and] what it means for swimming and recreating,” he said during a media briefing on Monday.
“But a cull of great whites is not going to be the answer to this and we’re not contemplating that.”
In January, beaches in Sydney and dozens more along Australia’s east coast were closed after four people were attacked by sharks in two days.
Over the past 10 years, Australia has seen, on average, 27 shark incidents each year in which people were injured, with fewer than three of those resulting in fatalities, according to data from the Australian Shark Incident Database.
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