She said: “I probably come over to New Zealand probably three times a year … when I was in hospital, I kept on saying to Fernando, my partner, I’m like, ‘When I can finally fly or travel, we’re going to Queenstown’.”
Her love for New Zealand was so strong her family played her the soundtrack from Lord Of The Rings to calm her while she was in a coma.
She said: “When I was in the coma, it felt like 10 years, like it just felt like a lifetime, and I felt like I was a bit trapped and it was scary”.
“New Zealand is just my happy place. And my family were just like, let’s transport her to the Shire so that she’ll be in a better place.”
A trip to the Remarkables is one thing to work towards but her main motivator has always been her baby daughter August.
Stewart has been vocal about the attack, describing the moment the shark dragged her into the water as being “beyond panic”.
She said: “When it took me, it felt impossible. And it almost felt easier for it just to kill me quickly, because I thought, there’s no way I’m getting out of this.
“But the thought of [August] … gave me a strength I don’t think I would have had.”
She fought off the shark, throwing in left hooks until it let her go. This meant the loss of her lower left arm and many other injuries.
It’s not easy but Stewart is focusing on the positive and her most recent highlight was being able to pick up her daughter for the first time.
She said: “That’s something I didn’t think I’d be able to do … I got to pick her up and hold her on my side and that’s what I’m focusing on. I’m not focusing on all the other things I can’t do.”
When the attack happened Stewart was still breastfeeding August, who was 6 months old at the time.
This made being in the hospital and separated from her baby girl one of the hardest parts of the recovery.
She said: “For me just to disappear, for her was so hard.
“And then for me when I woke up, it was just the hardest thing to be kept away from her. I could see her … But it was still really difficult because at that point I couldn’t move.”
Leah during her first interview after the attack. Photo / Nine
Stewart is no longer in the hospital, but she is still recovering.
She said: “At the moment, my leg is still open”.
“I was bitten by the shark, I lost my outer muscle of my leg … so I can’t really move that freely. I’ve been on bed rest the last two weeks, which is awful.”
She hasn’t let that get her down because the way she views it, she is lucky to be with her family and for the people who helped save her.
After fighting off the shark, she was spotted and taken to shore by Charlie Vercoe, the world’s number one paddle boarder.
She was then tended to by a top medical specialist for pre-medical care, Professor Ian Furgeson, who happened to be on the beach.
She said: “The fact that I had Charlie Vercoe, Ian Ferguson, there was ICU nurses, there was surgery nurses all on the beach… the fact that I can walk, speak, don’t have brain damage.
“For me, I actually do feel lucky.”
Stewart has done several interviews about her experience, which has helped her erode the fear attached to such a horrific memory.
She said: “I feel like I’m trying to regain power over the situation and every time I speak about it, the fear of it, it gets a little bit less.”
At first she said she couldn’t even hear the word “shark”, now she’s chosen to live by the beach and conquer the fear.
She said: “By seeing that [the ocean], I feel like it’s helping with the fear just by exposure.”
While she has a desire to get back into the water, safety has become more of a priority.
She said: “I’ve been speaking with the Premier of New South Wales, and I really am passionate in making sure that we can keep our beaches safe.”
Being a primary school teacher, she recently visited her classroom who also helped her gain more perspective.
”… They were just so curious and asking me questions like, how sharp are the shark’s teeth? Can you show us your missing arm?
“I was worried about going, but then afterwards, I’m like, I can face anything … And it was completely fine. And it comes from such a beautiful place of innocence.”
She said she wanted her story to inspire people into a deeper sense of gratitude, adding: “It’s just about being grateful for what you do have and not focusing on what you don’t have.”