Shark attacks Australian teacher, she punches it to save herself
What's the story
Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother from Australia, was attacked by a four-meter great white shark while swimming at Coogee Beach in Sydney on June 13. The incident left her critically injured, resulting in the amputation of her arm. In her first media interview since the attack, Stewart recounted to 60 Minutes Australia how she delivered a "left hook" to the shark as its mouth came within centimeters of her face.
Fight for survival
Stewart recalled the terrifying moment
Stewart vividly remembered the terrifying moment when she saw the shark.
"I've never screamed that loud and that crazy in my life... I'm just thinking, 'surely the lifeguards will hear us screaming, a jetski is going to come out any second and scare it away,'" she told Nine's 60 Minutes.
When help didn't arrive immediately, Stewart made a split-second decision to punch the shark with her left hand after asking herself which limb she was willing to sacrifice.
Emotional struggle
'I could feel my life slipping away'
As the shark bit her left arm and thigh, Stewart thought of her one-year-old daughter, August.
"I could feel my life slipping away," she recalled.
After weeks in intensive care, Stewart is still coming to terms with her injuries but is determined not to let them hold her back.
She said she's been given a second chance at life and plans on being the best version of herself despite having a disability.
Resilience
Stewart is determined to be the best version of herself
Stewart is determined to find ways to conquer her new challenges and be the best version of herself.
She said she had "come out of the other side with a knowledge and a power that I didn't have before."
Despite her injuries, Stewart remains positive about her future.
"I wasn't just a girl that got mauled on the beach... I'm the woman that punched the shark in the face," she said.