School praying for Sydney shark attack victim fighting for life
Sydney shark attack victim Leah Stewart’s colleagues and students are praying for her as she fights for life in hospital.
The 35-year-old mother’s loved ones were expecting her to undergo more surgeries this week after her arm had to be amputated in the wake of the harrowing incident at Coogee Beach on Saturday morning.
Leah Stewart is a teacher with a young child. 9News
Leah Stewart addressing students at Hurstville Adventist School where she works as a teacher. Facebook
She is facing a long road to recovery but friends, family and strangers have already stepped in with enormous generosity, putting hundreds of thousands of dollars towards her prosthetics, rehabilitation and the ongoing care she will need.
Yesterday, Hurstville Adventist School praised her as a “much-loved teacher and valued member of our school community”.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Leah and her family,” the school said.
Two years earlier, Leah had been updating parents on “an incredibly successful start to the year” at the school, praising students for immersing themselves “in a wide array of activities, from worship programs to sporting events”.
“A significant aspect of our school's mission is guiding students to meet Jesus and finding opportunities for them to praise,” the deputy principal said, in a video shared to the school’s Facebook.
Now, loved ones are wishing her the best as she recovers from multiple bites on her arms and legs, cuts and fractures throughout her body and extreme blood loss.
The attack led to a huge response from emergency services. Supplied
Donations began flooding in at a staggering rate when her brother Joshua Stewart set up a GoFundMe fundraising page on Monday and had already topped $360,000 last night.
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your support of Leah,” brother Joshua Stewart said, in a message sent to donors.
“This will make such a huge difference for her recovery. Leah, August, Fernando and the family are so grateful for your generosity, care and love. Thank you so much!”
Leah was swimming between the flags about 20 to 30 metres from the shore when she was bitten by a large great white shark.
Joshua wrote on the fundraiser that the family was “shocked and devastated that this could happen to our beloved partner, daughter and mother who is so full of life and energy”.
“Leah remains in a critical condition on life support and has undergone multiple surgeries in the days after the attack,” the post read.
“Tragically her treatment has required the amputation of her arm, and more surgeries are scheduled for the coming days.”
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