Shark attack mother says three heart-melting words after waking from coma, family reveals

A mother who was left in a critical condition after a shark attack has spoken her first words after being brought out of an induced coma, her family has revealed.

Leah Stewart, 35, was mauled by a great white shark while swimming at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on 13 June.

She was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition, where she underwent an arm amputation and multiple surgeries while remaining in intensive care.

Her family has been providing regular updates from her bedside, with her brother Joshua sharing an emotional statement on Wednesday.

“After a week of life-support and repeat surgeries, doctors were able to extubate Leah and reduce her level of sedation to bring her out of the induced coma for a short period of time,” he said.

“This allowed Leah to share her first words, ‘I love you’, with her mum and partner Fernando who have been by her side in ICU since the incident.

“Her first thoughts were with her daughter August and wanted to check she was okay.

“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.”

Despite the positive progress, Ms Stewart remains in intensive care and faces a long recovery ahead, reports the Daily Mail.

“She has undergone five days of surgery over the past week, and is scheduled for further surgeries today and more through the coming weeks,” Joshua added.

“Leah has a long road ahead and still remains in critical care, but this is such a positive first step and gives us hope for Leah’s long-term recovery.

“Again thank you so much for everyone who continues to support Leah, through your care, prayer, love and generosity.”

A fundraising campaign set up to support Ms Stewart’s rehabilitation, prosthetics and medical costs has already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, with the total reaching $488,000.

The attack happened while Ms Stewart was swimming at Coogee Beach. An off-duty lifeguard, Charlie Verco, who was paddleboarding nearby, rushed to help after the incident.

He pulled her onto his board and returned to shore, where emergency efforts began.

She received multiple blood transfusions on the beach before being airlifted to St Vincent’s Hospital and placed on life support.

Ms Stewart, a primary school teacher at Hurstville Adventist School, had previously worked at Sydney Adventist School in Auburn around 10 years ago.

Former colleagues recalled her fondly, with one acquaintance sharing a memory from when she spoke enthusiastically about the TV show Australian Survivor.

“She then said she wanted to go on Survivor. Well, 10 years later, she is a survivor,” they said.

“She will take on the challenges and come out on top. I wish you, her, and your families nothing but the best.”

Coogee Beach was not under active shark drone surveillance at the time of the attack because the area sits beneath a flight path, although authorities later granted an exemption for temporary monitoring.

The shark involved is believed to have been between three and four metres long.