Source : Perth Now news
Coogee Beach shark attack survivor Leah Stewart has revealed she will undergo a second attempt at a skin graft, as the open wound on her leg heals three months after the attack.
Ms Stewart, who lost an arm while swimming close to shore and between the flags at the popular beach in June, has been sharing her recovery online.
On Friday, Ms Stewart said she has been able to downsize the device which is constantly attached to her leg, sucking fluid out and pulling the wound together.
“I’ve had one of these with me for three months. I used to have one five times this size but I’m very excited to have a smaller one now,” she said.
“It is a little machine that is connected to my leg. My leg is still an open wound at the moment. Hopefully, it will be closing soon with my second trial at a skin graft.”
The machine attached to Ms Stewart is a portable negative pressure wound therapy device.
The machine is creating suction, pulling the wound together and removing fluid.
“It is a little bit annoying because if you forget to charge it, you need to race home and plug yourself into a wall.
“The wound which is on my leg, it’s got a plastic all over it. If there’s any movement on the leg, it will start beeping at you if you get a bit of air going in there.
“I’m constantly being harassed by this machine, but I’m very thankful for it because it has made a huge impact on the healing of my leg.”
Ms Stewart copped a broadside from former AFL player, and current radio host Brendan Fevola this week, when Fevola implied Ms Stewart was playing up her account of being attacked by the shark and repeatedly punching it away.
“She’s missing a limb, like her forearm is gone … if a shark was attacking you, you wouldn’t have much time to think I wouldn’t have thought,” Fevola said on radio.
“I was on the couch with my wife Alex and my kids going, ‘She’s lying. Too much time to think. You’re not thinking all that, are you?’
“We don’t know but.” He went on to say “this tough girl punched the shark”.
Ms Stewart was swimming at popular Coogee on June 13 when she was attacked by a four-metre Great White.
A host of people on the beach contributed to saving her life, including a world champion paddle boarder who brought to her shore, a trauma-specialist doctor who was having a coffee nearby, and Life Savers and uniformed police on patrol.
In hospital, Ms Stewart’s left arm was amputated below the elbow, she was in an induced coma for 10 days and underwent multiple surgeries.
Speaking to 60 Minutes last week, Ms Stewart said the thought of her daughter growing up motherless spurred her to fight as the shark dragged her underwater.
