A mom, who had her arm amputated after a shark attack, is shutting down her fundraiser. She and her family decided to pause on donations for the GoFundMe fundraiser.
But it has nothing to do with controversy. The mom was just overwhelmed by the flood of donations and felt that she had more than enough to help her family through this difficult time.
Back in June, Leah Stewart was swimming off Australia's Coogee Beach. Her vacation turned to terror when a shark attacked her. She "sustained severe and life-threatening injuries." Sadly, to save her life, it "required the amputation of her arm."
Fast forward to now, the mom is adjusting to life after the shark attack. Strangers have donated more than $400,000 for her.
"I want to say the biggest thank you for looking after me, for caring for my family, and for being generous enough to help my family through this," she wrote in an update. "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."
Life After Shark Attack
So she made the decision to turn off donations.
"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," Stewart continued.
The mom wants to figure out how to give back in the same way that others gave to her.
"I want you to know that I feel like I've been given a second chance at life, and I'm not going to waste it," she wrote. "As I get better, I know I'll make something of this second chance and aim to give back even more in generosity, care, and love. You've inspired me to get better, not bitter. Love, Leah."
