A 34-year-old Australian woman who was seriously injured in a suspected shark attack in Sydney earlier this month woke up briefly from a medically induced coma this week after undergoing several surgeries, her family said.
Leah Stewart, a teacher and mother of a 1-year-old boy, was hospitalized in critical condition on June 13 after being injured in a shark attack. The police said in a statement.
According to a letter written to A GoFundMe Page created by Stuart’s brother, Josh, suffered multiple injuries to her arms and legs, resulting in severe blood loss, several broken bones and the surgical amputation of her arm.
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Stewart has undergone five surgeries since the attack and is scheduled to undergo more, according to her brother.
After more than a week in a medically induced coma, doctors were able to briefly extubate Stewart, during which she woke up and told her family, including her mother and partner, “I love you,” Josh wrote in an update Tuesday, adding that she also asked if her 1-year-old daughter, August, was okay.
“This is much faster than anyone expected and to us this feels like a miracle and is everything many of us have been hoping and praying for over the past week,” her brother wrote.
The statement continued: “Leah remains in the intensive care unit and will continue to require this high level of care and support for some time. She underwent surgery for five days over the past week, and is scheduled to undergo more surgeries today and more over the coming weeks.”
Stewart was swimming close to shore when she was attacked and pulled from the water by members of the public who administered first aid before emergency services arrived, according to police.
Volunteer lifeguard Charlie Ferko was kayaking nearby and was among those who helped bring Stewart to shore, according to police reports. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Nearly A$500,000 was raised to support Leah Stewart and her family.
Since the incident, New South Wales Premier Chris Means has ruled out the possibility of culling great white sharks, but not bull sharks, the ABC said.
“It is not a protected species and we are currently conducting a head count (to see) if there is an increase in the harbor as a result of a healthier harbor and more fish stocks within this tributary (and) what that means for swimming and recreation,” he said during a news conference Monday.
“But executing big whites will not be the solution and we are not thinking about that.”
In January, beaches in Sydney and dozens of other beaches along Australia’s east coast were closed after sharks attacked four people 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 resulting in deaths, according to data from the conservation organisation. Australian Shark Incident Database.
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