Sydney shark attack victim utters first three words as she wakes up from coma after great white bite

A mother who was left battling for her life following a shark attack has emerged from her coma, with her family revealing the touching first words she spoke.

Leah Stewart, 35, suffered severe injuries when a great white shark attacked her during a swim at Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs on June 13.

Medical teams rushed her to St Vincent's Hospital in a critical condition, where surgeons performed an arm amputation alongside multiple other procedures while she remained in intensive care.

Her brother Joshua provided an update from the hospital on Wednesday.

After a week of life-support and repeat surgeries, doctors were able to extubate Leah and reduce her level of sedation to bring her out of the induced coma for a short period of time," he said.

"This allowed Leah to share her first words, 'I love you', with her mum and partner Fernando who have been by her side in ICU since the incident."

The primary school teacher's immediate concern upon waking was for her daughter August, asking whether she was safe.

"Her first thoughts were with her daughter August and wanted to check she was okay," Joshua explained.

"This is a lot faster than anyone expected, and for us this feels like a miracle and is everything so many of us have hoped and prayed for over the past week."

The 35-year-old, who teaches at Hurstville Adventist School, still has a lengthy recovery journey ahead and will continue receiving treatment in intensive care.

"She has undergone five days of surgery over the past week, and is scheduled for further surgeries today and more through the coming weeks," her brother added.

"Leah has a long road ahead and still remains in critical care, but this is such a positive first step and gives us hope for Leah's long-term recovery."

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A crowdfunding campaign established to cover her rehabilitation costs, prosthetic limbs and medical expenses has accumulated $488,000 (£244,000).

On the day of the incident, an off-duty lifeguard named Charlie Verco was paddleboarding nearby and rushed to help Ms Stewart in the water.

He managed to pull her onto his board, though she lost consciousness as he paddled towards the shore.

Emergency responders administered several blood transfusions on the beach before she was airlifted to hospital and placed on life support.

The beach lacked drone surveillance at the time of the attack due to its location beneath a flight path, though authorities have since granted a temporary exemption for shark-monitoring drones.

The shark responsible for the attack is estimated to have measured between three and four metres in length.

The attack came less than a week after 35-year-old Daniel Turpin was killed while spearfishing near Albany in Western Australia.

Earlier this year, a series of shark attacks across Sydney prompted widespread beach closures, including one that claimed the life of 12-year-old Nico Antic.

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