Remember me
Young mum Leah Stewart has found comfort in a nightly ritual since surviving a shark attack, reading messages of love and support whenever she wakes during the night.
The 34-year-old teacher was left fighting for life after the great white shark attack while swimming between the flags at Sydney's Coogee Beach on June 13.
She spent two weeks in a coma and has undergone multiple surgeries, including the amputation of one of her arms.
Ms Stewart remains in hospital in a stable condition, where she has since been reunited with her baby daughter, August.
Her brother provided an update on Sunday, admitting his sister has had some sleepless nights since waking from her coma.
'We've been sharing some of the beautiful messages we've received with Leah and she's loved them, finding inspiration from the care and love you've all shared,' he wrote.
'Leah has had some challenging days but has found real strength from your kindness and support, and wanted to pass on a huge thank you to everyone who has shared her story, sent her uplifting messages and supported her.
'Since the incident Leah has had difficulty sleeping, and on those nights she's been reading back through your messages, not only from her family and community in Australia and her whānau in New Zealand, but also from people all across the world.'
Shark attack survivor Leah Stewart has had some 'challenging' days in recent weeks
The mother-of-one has undergone multiple surgeries, including amputation of one of her arms
The teacher was left fighting for life following the great white shark attack while swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach on June 13
'They've given her real comfort and strength.'
He added that Ms Stewart is 'beyond overwhelmed' by the support she has received and that her story has resonated with so many people.
Ms Stewart also suffered nerve and tendon damage to her other arm but is expected to regain full use of it over time.
'In time Leah will want to share more of her story, she remembers the whole event in detail, but for now is focused on resting and healing,' her brother previously said.
A fundraiser to help Ms Stewart with her rehabilitation, prosthetics and medical bills has raised more than $540,000 in recent weeks.
The NSW government has since invested an additional $34 million in a major expansion of drone coverage at beaches across Sydney and the state's coastline.
Dozens of beaches - including at least one in every coastal local government area - will benefit from a fleet of drones watching over them 365 days a year.
'No one can promise a shark mitigation program that can guarantee that there will be zero encounters with sharks,' Premier Chris Minns said.
Leah Stewart has taken comfort and strength from the messages of support received
'But our plan here is to reduce the risk for swimmers and surfers in NSW beaches by using the latest technology ... so that you get earlier warning if you're in the water that there is a shark in the vicinity.'
The program could eventually culminate in the use of autonomous, AI-enabled drones, rather than human-controlled craft.
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