Shark victim mum is finally reunited with her baby 12 days after horror great white mauling at Coogee Beach - as family issue a major update on her recovery

By BRETT LACKEY, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 09:07, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 09:27, 25 June 2026 New mother Leah Stewart is no longer in a critical condition and is awake and stable, finally allowing her to be reunited with August, her baby daughter. Ms Stewart, 34, had been in a coma and fighting for life in the ICU following the June 13 attack by a great white shark at Sydney's Coogee Beach. She has now been brought out of heavy sedation following multiple surgeries and is awake and alert, with her brother Joshua confirming she has 'continued to make progress' over the last few days. 'Leah has been brought out from the heavy sedation and is now awake and alert and has been able to speak with our family and her medical team,' he said on Thursday. 'It's amazing to hear from her so much sooner than anyone expected.' He added that Leah and August had now seen each other for the first time since she was hospitalised and were 'overjoyed' at being reunited, with the pair having never been separated before. 'Leah has seen some of the lovely messages we've received and looks forward to getting back to people when she can, but doesn't yet have the use of her hand,' he wrote. He especially thanked staff at St Vincent's Hospital where Ms Stewart was rushed to after she was pulled from the water and where she will undergo another surgery on Friday. Leah Stewart's condition has been upgraded to awake and stable following a shark attack Emergency services at Coogee Beach on June 13 when Ms Stewart was brought ashore She had been pulled onto a paddleboard and taken ashore by an off-duty lifeguard, Charlie Verco, who happened to be in the surf nearby when the shark struck. 'In time Leah will want to share more of her story, she remembers the whole event in detail, but for now is focussed on resting and healing,' Joshua added. 'Leah has shown she is so strong, fighting to come back to her daughter August. 'Again a huge thank you to everyone for your messages of love and care, generosity, prayers and support.' Ms Stewart was given multiple blood transfusions on the beach before being airlifted to St Vincent's. Among the surgeries she has undergone are an arm amputation, while she also suffered nerve and tendon damage to her other arm, but is expected to regain full use of it over time.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.