A woman who was attacked by a great white shark at Sydney's Coogee Beach has woken from an induced coma and uttered her first words, telling her mother and partner: "I love you."
Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of a one-year-old daughter, was bitten on 13 June while swimming close to the shore. She suffered multiple bites to her arms and legs, extreme blood loss, and underwent several surgeries including an amputation of one arm.
“Shark attack victim Leah Stewart wakes from coma, says 'I love you' as Sydney beaches close due to further sightings.”
On Tuesday, doctors reduced Stewart's sedation and extubated her, bringing her out of the coma briefly. Her brother, Joshua Stewart, said in an online message: "Her first thoughts were with her daughter … and wanted to check she was OK."
He described her progress as "a miracle" and "a lot faster than anyone expected". Stewart remains in intensive care after five days of surgery, with more scheduled in the coming weeks. A fundraiser set up to cover her medical costs has raised more than $488,000.
The attack has heightened tensions about sharks off Sydney's coast. A drone video circulating on social media showed what appeared to be a great white shark close to shore at Bondi Beach early Wednesday morning; the beach was closed by lifeguards. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries confirmed that a tiger shark was detected at Bondi on Tuesday afternoon, and Bondi had been briefly closed on Sunday due to a sighting.
Stewart's attack reignited calls to cull shark populations, but NSW Premier Chris Minns said great whites could not be targeted as they are a protected species. He announced the state would roll out "world-leading" shark drones across more beaches, technology that has not been deployed at scale elsewhere.
"This is not an uncommon occurrence at this time of year," the DPI said in a statement, noting that tagged white sharks move northward along the NSW coast in late autumn and early winter.
Joshua Stewart acknowledged the long road ahead: "Leah has a long road ahead and still remains in critical care, but this is such a positive first step."