Thousands of people attended a community swim in honour of Leah Stewart, an Australian woman who remains in critical condition after being attacked by a shark at Coogee Beach, in Sydney. Stewart was bitten by a suspected great white shark on June 13.
Thanks to the quick and brave actions of an off-duty volunteer lifeguard, Charlie Verco, who paddled her back to shore, and the quick assistance by surf life savers and public, who applied tourniquets, the 34-year-old woman saved her life, and now remains in critical condition, having one of her arms amputated after the shark bit her across arms and legs.
To show support for Stewart and raise funds for her family, an event organised by city council of Randwick, a suburb of Sydney, and the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, thousands of people gathered at the same beach, one week after the incident, and swam in her honour. Surveillance drones, lifeguards on jet skis and inflatable rescue boats were in the scenes reassure swimmers, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The event had a special meaning: to give people comfort to go back to water after the traumatic incident. "It is a community coming together to wrap our arms around Leah, but also to come back to our special place, Coogee Beach. So many people find strength in the water, they find comfort, they find support, they find peace and to have that taken away from them has been really hard", said the mayor or Randwick, Dylan Parker.
After the swim, a meal was organised in the beach to raise funds for Stewart, a mother and teacher well loved in the local community.
