‘I’ve got to fight it’: Sydney shark attack survivor Leah Stewart recalls facing a great white shark and the thought that kept her alive

Two months after a great white shark attack left her fighting for her life, Sydney mother Leah Stewart, has spoken publicly for the first time about the moment she came face-to-face with the animal, and the thought that gave her a reason to survive.

Stewart, 34, was swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s east on June 13 when she was attacked by a great white shark. She suffered life-threatening injuries to her arms and legs and was later placed in a medically induced coma for nearly two weeks.

The attack resulted in several surgeries, including the amputation of part of her arm. In an emotional interview with the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes, Stewart recalled the encounter and described how her thoughts immediately turned to her 18-month-old daughter, August.

‘I’ve got to fight it’

Stewart said her memory of the attack remains clear, including the moment she saw the shark. “Its face was horrific – I will never forget. It was a monster,” she told 60 Minutes.

She recalled the shark holding onto her leg as she fought to survive. “It was holding onto my leg.”

As she struggled with the animal, Stewart said she could think only about her daughter and the possibility that August could grow up without her.

“All I was thinking of was August and I thought, ‘She’s not going to have a mum’.” “I couldn’t handle that. I did not want her to grow up without a mum.”

That thought, she said, became the reason she continued fighting. “I just thought, ‘I’ve got to fight it and do everything I can to be here’.”

Stewart thanked supporters

Stewart spent weeks in the hospital following the attack, undergoing multiple operations and recovering from injuries that permanently changed her life.

Her recovery has since shifted from surviving the immediate aftermath to rebuilding everyday independence.

In a fundraiser update, Stewart said she had been “constantly overwhelmed at how supportive people I know, and even strangers, have been, and how much they’ve cared about my family to make such an impact on our lives”.

She said her progress had given her hope after months of uncertainty.

“After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this,” she said.

Stewart also announced that donations to the fundraiser would be stopped after supporters raised more than $558,000 toward her rehabilitation, prosthetics and medical treatment.

“At this point, I think it’s appropriate for us to turn off donations on the GoFundMe because what you’ve offered has given us enough to recover, to stay in our home, and to give us options for further medical treatment down the road.”

She said the months since the incident had focused on healing and gradually returning to everyday life.

“I still have a long way to go, but my recovery has been remarkable, and a huge part of that is because of the absolute army of love, support, prayers and encouragement surrounding my family and I from all over the world,” she wrote.

Triple Zero emergency call after the shark attack

Her 60 Minutes interview also highlighted the moments immediately after the attack. The program is expected to air an audio recording of the Triple Zero emergency call made from the beach.

“Hi, we’ve got a shark attack at Coogee Beach. There’s a lot of blood in the water,” a woman told the operator.

Shark attacks in Australia

Stewart’s attack comes amid a series of shark incidents recorded across Australia this year.

There were four attacks over a two-day period in January, including an attack on a 12-year-old boy who later died from his injuries.

In May, a man was killed by a shark in Queensland while spearfishing.In Western Australia, a father of two also died after being attacked by a 4-meter (13-foot) shark.