Family reels after Coogee shark attack leaves woman with life-changing injuries

The family of the woman critically injured in Saturday’s shark attack at Coogee Beach are coming to terms with the scale of her injuries and the impact on her toddler. Leah Stewart, a 35-year-old primary school teacher, mother and regular ocean swimmer, remains on life support in the intensive care unit at St Vincent’s after being mauled by a suspected 3.5-metre great white.

“It’s such a tragic situation,” her older brother Joshua Stewart said, noting she had been swimming in the flags close to shore on a clear Saturday morning. Her mother, a registered nurse, is keeping a bedside vigil while the rest of the family try to maintain normal life for Leah’s 18-month-old daughter, who wants to know where mummy is.

Joshua confirmed Leah had undergone an arm amputation and remained in critical condition, with the family bracing for further possible life-altering news about injuries to her legs.

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