Coogee shark attack victim describes moment she came to face-to-face with ‘monster’

In her first media interview since the June incident, Leah Stewart, 34, says her thoughts while being bitten were of her one-year-old daughter

An Australian woman who lost an arm after a shark attack at a beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has recalled the moment she came face-to-face with the “monster”.

Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of a one-year-old daughter, was attacked by a large shark while on a morning swim at Coogee beach on 13 June.

She remained in a critical condition for more than two weeks while receiving treatment for life-threatening injuries that required the amputation of her arm.

In a snippet from her first media interview since the attack, Stewart recalled that her first thoughts during the attack were of her daughter.

“It was holding onto my leg, then I just thought of August. I thought, ‘She’s not going to have a mum. She’s going to grow up without a mum,’” she told Nine Entertainment.

“I couldn’t handle that. I didn’t want her to not have a mum.”

Through tears, Stewart said the shark’s “face was horrific” and that she would “never forget its face … it was a monster.”

In an update to a fundraiser set up to cover Stewart’s medical procedures and support her family, she said on Sunday that she had been “focused on my healing” and thanked donors.

“After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this,” she wrote.

“I’ve been actively trying to do everything in my power to get back to some sort of normal life. I still have a long way to go, but my recovery has been remarkable, and a huge part of that is because of the absolute army of love, support, prayers and encouragement surrounding my family and me from all over the world.”

The GoFundMe page has raised more than $558,925 since the June attack. Donations have now been turned off.

“I want to say the biggest thank you for looking after me, for caring for my family, and for being generous enough to help my family through this,” Stewart wrote.

“What you’ve offered has given us enough to recover, to stay in our home, and to give us options for further medical treatment down the road.”

Stewart ended the note by saying she felt as though she had been “given a second chance at life”.

“I’m not going to waste it. As I get better, I know I’ll make something of this second chance and aim to give back even more in generosity, care and love.”