Schoolteacher Leah Stewart, who was attacked by a shark at a Sydney beach in June, has thanked her supporters for giving her "a second chance at life".
On June 13, Stewart was swimming close to shore and within the flags at Coogee Beach when she was attacked by what was believed to be a 3.5m great white shark.
She suffered severe life-threatening injuries, including bites, fractures and extreme blood loss that led to several surgeries, being placed on life support and having an arm amputated.
A GoFundMe page was set up by Josh Stewart, her brother, shortly after the attack to go towards her rehabilitation and the care of her daughter, which has now reached A$558,000 (NZ$668,000).
Leah posted on the GoFundMe page Sunday to give an update and a thank you for the donations.
"After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this," she said in the post.
She said she thinks it is an appropriate time to stop accepting donations.
"What you’ve offered has given us enough to recover, to stay in our home, and to give us options for further medical treatment down the road."
In a June update from her brother, Stewart was said to have stabilised and was no longer in critical condition, though further surgery and extensive rehabilitation were still to go.
She has since been working to get back to "some sort of normal life".
"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.
"I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life, and I’m not going to waste it."
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