Sydney mother mauled by shark at Coogee Beach has undergone ‘multiple surgeries’, family says
Leah Stewart’s family say her injuries are “severe and life-threatening”. (Supplied: Stewart family )
The family of Sydney mother Leah Stewart, who was mauled by a shark last weekend, says she has undergone “multiple surgeries”.
Ms Stewart was bitten while swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach just before 11am on Saturday.
The 35-year-old was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition.
Ms Stewart is a Coogee local and loving mother, her family say. (Supplied: Stewart family)
Her family has released a statement saying she sustained “life-threatening” injuries.
“She remains in a critical condition and has undergone multiple surgeries in the days after the attack,” the family said in a statement.
“She will need extensive ongoing care, support and rehabilitation.
“As a family we are shocked and devastated that this could happen to our beloved partner, daughter, and mother who is so full of life and energy.”
Ms Stewart was swimming between the flags when she was bitten. (Supplied: Stewart family)
Her family said Ms Stewart was a Coogee local, a passionate teacher and a loving mother.
As a result of her injuries, the family are raising funds to help with her recovery and allow her to care for her daughter.
“We share our sincere thanks and gratitude to the lifesavers, first responders, helicopter crew and the dedicated medical team of doctors, nurses, and support staff at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney who have been caring for Leah,” the family said.
“Our thanks to all who have reached out to the family with sympathy, care and prayer.”
Ms Stewart suffered severe wounds to her left lower leg and arms after being attacked about 30 metres off shore by what is believed to be a white shark.
She was spotted by off-duty lifeguard Charlie Verco, who was training for a paddleboard competition, when her friend “started screaming ‘shark'”.
He then used a signal to indicate to lifeguards to clear the beach and prepare for triage before towing her to 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,” Mr Verco said on Sunday.
The 25-year-old said Ms Stewart lost consciousness about halfway to shore, requiring him to keep her head above water.
Describing the attack, Mr Verco said he saw Ms Stewart “getting dragged around a little bit” before he saw a “big shark come out of the water”.
Once the pair reached the shore lifeguards applied tourniquets and began CPR.
SOURE: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-15/nsw-shark-victim-family-leah-stewart-coogee-beach/106800208
News
🚨 SHE IS EXTREMELY LUCKY TO SURVIVE: Family reveals Leah Stewart lost a lot of blood after the attack and is currently undergoing a long recovery process. Updates about her first shark bite are touching, especially the first 3 WORDS when she opens her eyes
The sheer mathematics of survival following a major apex predator encounter often comes down to a matter of minutes and milliliters. For thirty-five-year-old Coogee schoolteacher and mother Leah Stewart, surviving a catastrophic strike by a suspected four-meter great white shark…
💔 SHE’S STILL FIGHTING Leah Stewart, 35, survived a horrific shark attack just 30 meters from shore, but friends say the road ahead may be longer than the rescue… especially after doctors revealed the severity of her injuries
The terrifying narrative of physical survival often ends at the water’s edge, concluded by the swift arrival of flashing emergency lights and the frantic applause of relieved onlookers. When twenty-four-year-old volunteer surf lifesaver Charlie Verco paddled his rescue board directly…
A hero paddled straight toward a 4-meter shark to save Leah Stewart’s life 💔 But while she remains hospitalized, attention has shifted to a decision made long before she went into the water. Critics argue that a single piece of technology could have changed everything, while officials insist they could have done nothing else
A hero paddled straight toward a 4-meter shark to save Leah Stewart’s life 💔 But while she remains hospitalized, attention has shifted to a decision made long before she went into the water. Critics argue that a single piece of…
Major breakthrough after 56 days 🚨 Taylor Charlton disappeared on May 8th and a 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. But detectives are still focusing on the last surveillance camera footage and the black car before she vanished
The quiet market town of Barnstaple in North Devon has been upended by a dark and fast-moving shift in the investigation into missing teenager Taylor Charlton. For nearly two months, the disappearance of the fifteen-year-old was treated by the public…
FOOTPRINTS FOUND IN THE FOREST 🚨 Days after Taylor Charlton went missing, search teams recovered a pair of blue Nike shoes believed to belong to the missing teenager. Eight weeks later, police arrested a murder suspect while continuing to investigate how the shoes ended up hundreds of meters apart
The dense, sprawling woodlands and volatile tidal marshes of North Devon have become the focal point of one of the most agonizing and perplexing missing person cases in recent British history. What began as a desperate search for fifteen-year-old Taylor…
THE 2001 HORROR TAPE THAT JUST RESURFACED IN THE STEPHEN OGILVIE CASE?! 🚨🩸
The landscape of internet true crime exploration and investigative journalism frequently intersects with tragedy, but rarely does it uncover a narrative as deeply layered, unsettling, and historically complex as the one surrounding Stephen Ogilvie. For the past several days, international…
End of content
No more pages to load
