“It was holding on to my leg, and then I just thought of August, and I thought, ‘she’s not going to have a mum,’ ” Stewart said through tears
Credit: Gofundme
NEED TO KNOW
- Leah Stewart lost her arm and underwent multiple surgeries after surviving a shark attack in June
- The 34-year-old mother credits her survival to thinking of her young daughter during the life-threatening ordeal
- Stewart expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support during her recovery and shared her progress toward independence
Two months after being critically injured in a shark attack at Australia’s Coogee Beach, Leah Stewart spoke out about the harrowing ordeal.
In a preview of Stewart’s interview with Nine Network’s 60 Minutes, Stewart told the network that she came face-to-face with the animal.
“Its face was horrific,” she said. “I will never forget its face. It was a monster.”
Thinking of her 18-month-old daughter, August, helped her survive, Stewart shared.
“It was holding on to my leg, and then I just thought of August, and I thought, ‘She’s not going to have a mum,’ ” Stewart said through tears. “‘She’s going to grow up without a mum.’ I couldn’t handle that, I didn’t want her not to have a mum.”
All she could think about was fighting it in order to stay alive.
Credit: Gofundme
Stewart sustained “severe and life-threatening injuries” when a shark attacked her during a morning swim close to the shore on June 13, St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney said in a news release previously obtained by PEOPLE.
The 34-year-old teacher and mother underwent “multiple surgeries,” including an arm amputation, PEOPLE previously reported.
Stewart also gave an update on how she’s doing in a GoFundMe that was made on her behalf during her recovery journey, which included being in a medically induced coma.
In her Sunday, Aug. 23 message, Stewart offered the “biggest thank you” for the support she has received since the attack and said she is “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.”
“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.
Credit: GoFundMe
In addition to noting that donations would be turned off on the GoFundMe, Stewart said that she and her family have been actively focusing on “healing” and getting back to a “normal life.”
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“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 said. “That means more to me than I can say, and I truly believe it’s played a huge role in my recovery.”
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