Bushfire survivor Turia Pitt opens up about outback marathon fire
Bushfire survivor Turia Pitt opens up about outback marathon fire
25 August 2013
published by www.news.com.au
Australia — BUSHFIRE survivor Turia Pitt has revealed her face for the first time two years on from her tragic ordeal.
The 26-year-old was determined to rebuild her life after suffering horrific burns to 70 per cent of her body after becoming trapped in a grass fire during an outback 100km marathon.
Ms Pitt has worn the mask for 23 hours a day to help heal her horrific injuries but took the mask off publically on Channel Nines 60 Minutes and said she would never wear it again.
”I have done really well with the mask, I have worn it for 23 hours a day,” she said.
”It just becomes like normal so I feel naked without my mask on. I dont need to wear it anymore.”
Ms Pitt, who was a mining engineer before the tragedy, said she would burn the mask to celebrate her freedom but said she was still worried about her appearance.
”When I look at photos of myself before I think bloody hell I was actually good looking,” she said.
”I am concerned about my appearance.”
She said struggling with the burns on her face was an ongoing battle.
As part of her healing process she visited a top burns clinic in France which helped her physically improve but also mentally prepared her for life without the mask.
Ms Pitt said friends and family would not tell her what she looked like but first saw her face in the reflection of her iPad.
”I just lost it,” she said.
”Then I realised I was just as vain as anyone else.
”I was really pissed off at everyone because they kept saying you just look different … in reality I looked really bad.”
Michael Hoskin, Ms Pitts partner, has stayed with his girlfriend throughout the ordeal and said the thought of leaving had never occurred to him and he plans to start a family with the love of his life.
”She is such a good person,” he said.
The surgery Ms Pitt has undergone is not just cosmetic with serious restructuring to help her live more comfortably.
Ms Pitt is deciding whether to become the first person in Australia to have a full-face transplant.
