They called her a fake; she proved she’s a warrior: Leah Stewart has shut down the controversy by revealing her latest surgery. This serves as a fierce response to those who mocked her over the scars on her arm—marks left by a shark attack. 👇 The latest updates on Leah’s health—including her comments on this medical device—can be found in the comments section.
Shark attack survivor Leah Stewart has shared a frank and determined health update as she prepares to undergo a second skin graft on her badly injured leg, almost three months after she was mauled by a great white shark at Sydney’s Coogee Beach.
The 34-year-old mother-of-one revealed that the wound on her leg remains open and that she continues to rely on a portable negative pressure wound therapy device — commonly known as a VAC machine — that has been a constant companion throughout her recovery. In a video posted to Instagram, Stewart showed followers the smaller version of the machine she now carries and spoke with characteristic honesty about the challenges and gratitude that have defined her healing process.
“I’ve had one of these with me for three months. I used to have one five times this size but I’m very excited to have a smaller one now,” she said. “It is a little machine that is connected to my leg. My leg is still an open wound at the moment. Hopefully, it will be closing soon with my second trial at a skin graft.
“For now, this machine is pulling all of the wound together and then collecting all of the excess fluid.”
Stewart described the device as both indispensable and occasionally frustrating. “It is a little bit annoying because if you forget to charge it, you need to race home and plug yourself into a wall,” she explained. “The wound which is on my leg, it’s got a plastic all over it — if there’s any movement on the leg, it will start beeping at you if you get a bit of air going in there. I’m constantly being harassed by this machine, but I’m very thankful for it because it has made a huge impact on the healing of my leg.”
The update marks another step in a long and demanding recovery that began on the morning of 13 June 2026, when Stewart was swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach, just 20 to 30 metres from shore. What should have been an ordinary weekend swim turned into a life-or-death struggle with a large great white shark estimated at around four metres in length.
The Attack and Immediate Aftermath
Stewart has since spoken in detail about the moments she came face-to-face with the animal. In interviews, including an extended conversation with 60 Minutes, she described being dragged under the water as the shark bit into her thigh and arms. She recalled the sheer size of the predator and the desperate fight that followed.
“In my head, I was like, ‘You ugly f—er. You are not taking me away from my daughter,’ and I twisted myself around and I just started punching it over and over and over again,” she said. “It was like fighting a dinosaur. It was so big. It was like punching a brick wall.”
Thoughts of her young daughter, August, drove her to keep fighting. Stewart said she was determined not to leave her child without a mother. After repeatedly striking the shark, it released her. Other swimmers and an off-duty lifeguard on a paddleboard helped bring her to shore, where members of the public and emergency responders applied tourniquets and performed CPR. She had suffered catastrophic blood loss, multiple fractures, and severe tissue damage. Sand and debris in the wounds created a serious risk of infection.
Emergency surgery saved her life. Doctors were forced to amputate her left arm. Her remaining arm suffered severe tendon and nerve damage. She was placed in an induced coma to give her body the best chance of recovery. For days her condition remained critical. Family members described the early period as a fight for survival measured in hours rather than weeks.
The Long Road Back
Stewart’s progress has been remarkable by any medical standard. Within roughly 12 days she was brought out of heavy sedation, able to speak to her mother and partner, and later reunited with her daughter August for the first time since the attack. Her brother Joshua Stewart provided regular updates through a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $550,000 to support her ongoing care, rehabilitation and future prosthetic needs.
“It’s amazing to hear from her so much sooner than anyone expected,” Joshua wrote at the time. Both Leah and August were described as “overjoyed” to see each other. Stewart herself has said she remembers the entire attack in detail and intends to share more of her story when the time is right. For now, her focus remains on healing.
The open wound on her leg has required sustained negative pressure therapy. The VAC machine works by applying controlled suction to the wound, helping to draw the edges together, remove excess fluid, and promote the growth of healthy tissue. Stewart’s first attempt at a skin graft has already taken place; she is now preparing for a second. The process is slow, sometimes painful, and requires constant management of the dressing and the machine that keeps it sealed.
Everyday life has been reshaped by the device. Charging it, monitoring for air leaks, and adjusting to the beeping alarms have become part of her routine. Yet she has repeatedly expressed gratitude for the technology and for the medical teams at St Vincent’s Hospital who have guided her through multiple surgeries and intensive rehabilitation.
Reunions and Resilience
In recent weeks Stewart has begun to reconnect more publicly with the people who helped save her life. She shared a photograph from an emotional reunion with two of the lifesavers who performed CPR and kept her breathing on the sand at Coogee. “Got to meet these absolute legends today,” she wrote. “Last time we met they were performing CPR and breathing for me, this time we had a big hug and got to hang out at Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club. Thanks for being literal life savers.”
These moments of reconnection sit alongside the practical, grinding work of recovery. Stewart is learning to adapt to life with one arm, managing nerve damage in the remaining limb, and working toward greater independence. She has spoken of feeling as though she has been given a second chance and of her determination not to waste it. Progress has included being able to stand and walk, and beginning the long process of regaining fine motor skills.
The attack was the first recorded shark incident at Coogee Beach in more than a century. It occurred during a period of heightened shark activity along parts of the Australian coastline. Stewart has been careful not to let the event define her entirely. In her own words, she does not want to be remembered simply as “a girl that got mauled on the beach.” Instead she has framed her experience around survival, motherhood, and the support that has surrounded her family.
Looking Ahead
The second skin graft represents another milestone rather than an endpoint. Even if successful, further rehabilitation, possible additional procedures, and the ongoing management of her injuries will continue for months and likely years. Prosthetic options for her amputated arm, intensive physiotherapy for the remaining arm and leg, and psychological support form part of the broader recovery plan.
Throughout the process Stewart has maintained a tone of realism mixed with quiet optimism. The VAC machine may “harass” her with its beeps and charging demands, yet she remains thankful for the difference it has made. The open wound is still a daily reality, but she is preparing for the next surgical step with clear-eyed hope that it will finally begin to close.
Almost three months after a four-metre great white shark nearly ended her life in the waters off Coogee, Leah Stewart continues to measure progress in small, hard-won increments. A second skin graft is the next challenge. Behind it lies the longer journey of rebuilding strength, independence and a future with her daughter — a future she fought fiercely to keep on a June morning when the ocean turned against her.
Her story remains one of extraordinary resilience under the most extreme circumstances. As she prepares for the next stage of treatment, Stewart’s candid updates offer both a window into the physical realities of major trauma recovery and a reminder of the human will that can carry a person through it.
