Shark attack survivor recalls gut-wrenching thought she had whilst fighting for her life

An Australian woman who lost her arm in a terrifying shark attack has spoken out about the ordeal for the first time and called the animal a ‘monster’.

Leah Stewart, 34, a teacher and mother-of-one, was swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach in Sydney on the morning of June 13 when she was mauled by a large shark, suspected to be a Great White.

She suffered bites to her arms and legs and was placed in an induced coma, remaining in a critical condition for more than two weeks, before undergoing several surgeries, including the amputation of one of her arms.

Now, two months later, Leah has given her first media interview since the attack, which is set to air on CBS News' 60 Minutes on Sunday (30 August).

In a teaser snippet of the interview shared to Instagram, the teacher emotionally recalled the horrifying day and revealed the main thought that was going through her mind.

Leah Stewart has given her first media interview since she was attacked by a shark in June (60 Minutes)

She explained that as the shark latched onto her, her mind was on her young daughter, August.

Leah recalled: “It was holding onto my leg, then I just thought of August. I thought, ‘She’s not going to have a mum. She’s going to grow up without a mum’.”

Through tears, she continued: “I couldn’t handle that. I didn’t want her to not have a mum.”

Leah also described the shark’s face as ‘horrific’ and said she would ‘never forget it,’ calling it a ‘monster’.

It comes as the mother-of-one thanked her supporters who started an online fundraiser, which ended up reaching a huge AU$560,000 (£294,000) in donations in the aftermath of the attack to support her family and pay for medical treatment.

As reported by the BBC, she wrote: "Once again, I don’t feel like I can say thank you enough.

"I want you to know that I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life, and I’m not going to waste it.

"As I get better, I know I’ll make something of this second chance and aim to give back even more in generosity, care, and love.”

The teacher and mother-of-one said she's grateful to have a 'second chance at life' (GoFundMe)

Leah added: "I will forever be grateful for everything, and everyone, I’ve been given. You’ve inspired me to get better, not bitter."

She outlined that the GoFundMe page would no longer be accepting donations and that the money raised would help her to recover at home and get any further treatment she needs.

Leah said: “After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence. I can finally see some light after all of this.”

She concluded: "I still have a long way to go, but my recovery has been remarkable, and a huge part of that is because of the absolute army of love, support, prayers and encouragement surrounding my family and I from all over the world."

Leah’s attack came at a time when there were a slew of similar incidents happening in Australia, including four attacks in a two-day period in January, including a young boy who was bitten at a Sydney beach and tragically later died in hospital.