The recovery extended across weeks and months.
That difference is central to understanding the story.
A shark attack is often described through the moment of contact.
The animal appears.
The victim is bitten.
The struggle unfolds.
Then the person either escapes or is rescued.
But for survivors of serious injuries, the aftermath can be far longer and more difficult than the initial encounter.
Leeanne had to live with the physical consequences of the shark's bite.
Her right leg had suffered extensive damage.
The muscles and other tissues involved in standing and walking had been severely affected.
Recovery required medical treatment and physical rehabilitation.
The ordinary movements that had once been effortless became challenges.
Standing required support.
Walking required assistance.
And progress had to be measured through the gradual return of function.
Her survival therefore involved two different struggles.
The first occurred underwater.
There, Leeanne fought against a powerful predator while unable to escape its jaws.
She had only moments to act.
The second struggle unfolded after she reached safety.
It involved repeated surgeries, medical care, and the difficult process of rebuilding mobility.
That second struggle did not produce the dramatic images associated with a shark encounter.
There were no powerful jaws or sudden underwater movements.
Instead, it involved the slower work of recovery.
Yet it was just as important to the outcome.
Leeanne's ability to begin standing and walking again with supportive equipment represented progress after an injury that had threatened both her life and her mobility.
The incident also highlights the importance of the people who helped her.
Dusty Phillips responded when Leeanne disappeared beneath the water.
He searched for her despite the danger of entering the area where the shark had attacked.
Other surfers joined the rescue.
Together, they helped bring her back to shore.
Emergency medical personnel then continued the effort to save her life.
The helicopter transfer connected the beach rescue with the hospital treatment she urgently needed.
Her survival was not the result of one isolated action.
It depended on a sequence of events.
Leeanne resisted the shark.
The animal released her.
Dusty and the other surfers helped her reach shore.
Emergency responders arranged medical care.
And hospital teams treated the devastating injury over an extended period.
Each stage mattered.
Had Leeanne remained trapped underwater, the outcome could have been fatal.
Had the rescuers been unable to locate her, reaching shore might have been impossible.
And without extensive medical treatment, the serious injuries to her thigh could have produced even more severe consequences.
The story also illustrates the importance of separating documented events from assumptions about shark behavior.
The animal was identified as a great white shark.