Leah Stewart, the 34-year-old victim of a shark attack in Australia earlier this summer, has halted the GoFundMe page. After receiving an outpouring of support.
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Shark Attack Victim Pauses GoFundMe Page
In an update shared on the fundraising page, Stewart thanked all of the people who supported her in the aftermath of the attack. She also said she was "overwhelmed" by the number of people who donated.
"I am constantly overwhelmed at how supportive people I know, and even strangers, have been, and how much they've cared about my family. To make such an impact on our lives," she said in a transcript obtained by PEOPLE.
The shark attack was a life-altering event for Leah. She suffered "severe blood loss," among other life-threatening injuries. She was also made an amputee. After doctors determined that the best course of action going forward was to remove her arm. Over $400,000 was donated to her GoFundMe page. After receiving the overwhelming amount of donations, Leah shut the page down. She cited that she believed that they had raised enough money to take care of her medical bills.
"At this point, I think it's appropriate for us to turn off donations on the GoFundMe. Because 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."
Shark Attack Victim Recalls 'Horrific' Incident
Leah was attacked by a great white shark on June 13 while visiting Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia. In an exclusive sit-down with 60 Minutes in the aftermath, she described the attack as "horrific." She also recalled fearing that she would not survive the shark attack. But it was her one-year-old child, August, who gave her the motivation to push through.
"I could feel my life slipping away," Stewart said (via The Guardian). "It just felt like everything was leaving my body, and I was going somewhere. And just as I was about to reach the end of the tunnel, I just got a vision of August."
