Leah Stewart, the 35-year-old Sydney teacher who was attacked by a shark while swimming in Coogee, remains on life support, her family says, and they have started a GoFundMe.
Stewart was swimming between the flags on June 13 when the shark attacked her. She suffered severe bites and lacerations. The mother-of-one has since undergone multiple surgeries, including the amputation of one of her arms, her family said in a statement on the GoFundMe page.
“Leah is a dedicated and loving mother, a passionate teacher, and a Coogee local who loves the ocean,” her family said.
“We are shocked and devastated that this could happen to our beloved partner, daughter and mother who is so full of life and energy.”
Leah Stewart and her daughter. Source: GoFundMe
Off-duty life guard brought victim to shore
Off-duty volunteer lifeguard Charlie Verco was in the water on Saturday morning when he saw the shark and paddled toward Leah, but the shark was so big that he felt he couldn’t do anything, he told the ABC.
He signalled to the lifeguards on the beach, hoping they’d clear the water and get help to Leah.
“I could see the dorsal fin and the tail fin and the body of it and I felt like I was looking up at the shark, just because it was so big,” he said.
The shark dragged Leah underwater. “Luckily, she popped up and the shark had let her go and I was able to get close enough to bring her into shore.
“She was lucid enough to say, ‘Help’, and respond to instruction, but she was very much in shock and definitely freaked out and wasn’t able to have conversation,” Charlie told the ABC.
Emergency services arrived at Coogee beach around 11am and rushed Leah to hospital. She is scheduled to undergo more surgery in the coming days.
Leah’s brother Josh said the funds will support her recovery process and help her access prosthetics, rehabilitation and the ongoing care and adjustments she will need to try to return to her life “being an amazing Mum to her baby daughter.”
“Leah faces a long road to recovery and your support will make a huge difference in her quality of life, rehabilitation and ability to go back to being a mum to her much loved one year old daughter.”
Volunteers showed courage
Coogee Surf Life Saving Club president Ben Heenan paid tribute to the first responders “who acted with speed, precision, and a fair bit of courageousness in ensuring that Leah got the best treatment possible.”
Officials hailed Charlie Verco as a hero for bringing Leah safely to shore. He said he was “very scared.”
“I was the only one near her that was not swimming so I knew that if I went in [to shore] she was just going to be left on her own, there was nothing that could be done.
“The shark was so big that I thought it would be able to bite myself and my board in half without much effort.”
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