‘Life-changing’ injuries: family reels from ‘tragic situation’ as Coogee shark attack victim loses arm

The family of Leah Stewart is braced for more bad news and the impact on her 18-month-old daughter

The family of the woman critically injured in Saturday’s horrific shark attack at Coogee beach is still coming to terms with the catastrophic scope of her injuries and the heartbreaking impact on her toddler.

Leah Stewart, a 35-year-old primary school teacher, mother and dedicated ocean swimmer, remained on life support in the intensive care unit at St Vincent’s hospital after being mauled by a suspected 3.5-metre great white shark.

“It’s such a tragic situation,” her older brother Joshua Stewart told the Guardian.

“Leah is so full of life, she’s so energetic, she loves the ocean, she was a keen swimmer, she was swimming in the flags, really close to the shore when it happened on a crystal-clear Saturday morning. She’d done all the right things.”

Leah and Joshua’s mother, a registered nurse, was keeping a bedside vigil at St Vincent’s while the rest of the family was trying to maintain a semblance of normal life for Leah’s 18-month-old daughter, who wanted to know where her mummy was.

“We’re lucky the family’s all been able to come together and she’s getting a lot of love … we’re just trying to make it all work,” Joshua said.

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