After a week in an induced coma, Leah Stewart, who was bitten by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee Beach on June 13, has briefly awakened, giving her family hope amid a surge of shark attacks across Australia.
The 34‑year‑old teacher suffered multiple bites on her arms and legs, losing an arm in the attack and undergoing five days of surgery before her condition deteriorated to critical.
On Tuesday, her brother Joshua said doctors reduced her medication to wake her from the coma; she managed to say “I love you” to her mother and partner before returning to unconsciousness.
“This is a lot faster than anyone expected,” Joshua wrote on a support page, calling the moment a miracle and a positive first step in what he said would be a long road to recovery.
Australia has seen a spike in shark incidents this year, with four attacks in a 48‑hour period in January and fatal bites in Queensland and Western Australia, prompting authorities to review beach safety protocols.
