Leah Stewart, the woman who lost her arm in a great white shark attack at Sydney's Coogee beach in June, has issued an emotional update to supporters, thanking the community for its backing during what she described as an 'incredibly difficult' recovery.
In a message posted to her GoFundMe page, Stewart said she had progressed enough to begin rebuilding her independence and could now see a path forward. '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 wrote.
Stewart acknowledged the silence from her fundraising page in recent weeks, explaining that her focus had been on healing. 'I'm sorry we've been quiet on the GoFundMe recently, we've just been focused on my healing, and I've been actively trying to do everything in my power to get back to some sort of normal life,' she said.
Despite acknowledging that she still has a long road ahead, Stewart described her recovery as 'remarkable' and credited the global outpouring of support. '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.
Stewart also looked to the future, vowing to use her experience to help others. 'As I get better, I know I'll make something of this second chance and aim to give back even more in generosity, care, and love,' she said. 'I will forever be grateful for everything, and everyone, I've been given. You've inspired me to get better, not bitter.'
The attack occurred in June when Stewart was bitten by a great white shark while swimming at Coogee, a popular beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The incident prompted widespread community support and raised questions about shark activity along the New South Wales coast.
In a separate development, Australian authorities reported that a second fur seal has died from suspected bird flu, raising concerns about the spread of the virus among marine mammal populations. Officials have been monitoring the situation closely, with experts warning that the disease could have significant impacts on local wildlife.
One official noted that conservation efforts have focused on building resilient populations to withstand potential outbreaks. 'What we've been doing over the last couple of years is trying to build up larger populations of these mammals, so if we do have bird flu come, and it does kill some of them, we still have resilient populations for the future,' they said.
The official acknowledged the distressing nature of the news for Australians but stressed the importance of being realistic. 'This is the sort of thing we have seen overseas. We're very fortunate we're the last continent to have the bird flu happen. But we've been preparing for this, for some time,' they added.