An Australian woman who lost an arm in a shark attack said thoughts of her young daughter drove her to fight for her life as she faced the “monster”.

Leah Stewart, 34, was attacked while swimming near the shoreline at Sydney’s Coogee Beach on 13 June. The schoolteacher suffered life-threatening injuries after being bitten on her arms and legs by what was suspected to be 3.5-metre great white shark.

Ms Stewart underwent several surgeries, was placed in a medically induced coma for nearly two weeks and later had one of her arms amputated.

In her first public remarks since the attack, Ms Stewart said she had made enough progress to regain some independence and was beginning to see a way forward.

“After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I am so happy that I have progressed enough to build some independence and I can finally see some light after all of this,” she wrote in an update posted on her GoFundMe page.

The fundraiser, set up by her brother shortly after the attack, collected nearly A$559,000 (£293,000) to support her rehabilitation, prosthetics, and ongoing medical treatment.

Ms Stewart said the family was closing the fundraiser as the donations had provided enough support for her recovery and future treatment.

“What you have offered has given us enough to recover, to stay in our home, and to give us options for further medical treatment down the road,” she said.

She had spent recent weeks concentrating on her recovery and trying to return to “some sort of normal life”. “I still have a long way to go, but my recovery has been remarkable,” Ms Stewart said, “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.”

Ms Stewart said she had been overwhelmed by the support she had received from friends, family and strangers.

“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. “You’ve inspired me to get better, not bitter.”

In an emotional interview with Nine aired this weekend, Ms Stewart recalled coming face to face with the shark and fearing her daughter, August, would grow up without her. “Its face was horrific,” she said. “I will never forget. It was a monster.”

“I was holding onto my leg and I just thought of August. And I thought she’s not going to have a mum. I couldn’t handle that. I did not want her to grow up without a mum,” she added. “I just thought, ‘I’ve got to fight it and do everything I can to be here’.”

Australia has seen a series of deadly shark attacks this year. Four people were attacked over two days in January, including a 12-year-old boy who later died of his injuries.

A man was killed while spearfishing in Queensland in May, and a father of two died after being attacked by a four-metre shark in Western Australia.