SYDNEY, June 25 (World Daily Times) — Leah Stewart, who was critically injured in a shark attack at Coogee Beach in Sydney, briefly woke from sedation in an intensive care unit this week and told her mother and partner, Fernando, “I love you,” according to an update from her brother, Joshua Stewart.
Joshua Stewart said doctors had reduced her sedation and extubated her after 10 days in an induced coma, allowing her to speak briefly from her hospital bed. He said the moment came after a week of life support and repeated surgeries.
The attack happened June 13 at Coogee Beach, according to family updates relayed by Joshua Stewart. In later updates, he said Leah had been in critical condition for 12 days and had undergone multiple surgeries, including surgery to remove her arm and treat other serious injuries.
Joshua Stewart said Leah is now awake, no longer in critical condition and able to communicate with family and medical staff. He also said she was reunited with her young daughter, August, for the first time since the attack.
“To hear from her much sooner than anticipated is incredible,” Joshua Stewart said in the update quoted by ABC News.
He added that Leah and August were “thrilled to see each other” and that it was the first night they had ever spent apart.
