The family of a woman who was attacked by a shark off Coogee Beach has revealed she has a “long road ahead” as she continues to battle life-threatening injuries in hospital.
Leah Stewart, a 35-year-old mother and teacher, had her arm amputated after being mauled by a 3.5-metre great white shark on June 13 as members of the public looked on in horror.
Ms Stewart’s relatives have given an update on her condition via a statement issued by St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney, where she remained on Monday.
“Leah remains in a critical but stable condition, and it is expected this will remain her condition for some time,” they said.
“There is a long road ahead for her and her family.”
A GoFundMe page set up by Ms Stewart’s brother, Joshua, has already raised more than $475,000 in donations.
It comes a day after hundreds of people gathered at Coogee Beach for a swim out to honour the mother, organised by Coogee Surf Life Saving Club and Randwick City Council.
The event aimed to encourage swimmers to return to the ocean while also offering continued support to the Stewart family and the broader community.
The swim out included extensive safety measures, with surveillance drones overhead, lifeguards on jet skis, and inflatable rescue boats on standby to help reassure the public.
Ms Stewart’s partner, Fernando, is said to be “in shock” and rushed back from attending the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada to be at her bedside, reports The Daily Telegraph.
She was an accomplished swimmer, having competed in the Coogee Island Challenge in 2024.
The swimmer was around 30 metres from shore when she was attacked earlier this month.
A local volunteer lifeguard, Charlie Verco, saw the incident unfold and acted swiftly to help rescue her.
“The water got very bloody and she got taken under and after a few seconds, popped up again, and the shark had let her go,” he told ABC.
“All I really wanted to do was to go to shore, obviously, but because I was the only one on any craft near her, I was like, ‘If I’m not here to help her, no one is.
“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.”
The attack marks the latest in a series of shark-related incidents across Australia, particularly New South Wales, which experienced the highest amount of attacks for January in a decade.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has demanded the start of shark culling in the country’s waters.
“Just read the latest news about a woman fighting for her life after a shark attack at Coogee Beach,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
“It’s so wrong that we don’t cull sharks after attacks.
“It’s so wrong that we don’t have a commercial shark fishery, given explosions in shark numbers.
“It’s so wrong that we don’t put people before sharks.”