Turia Pitt was just 26 years old when in 2011 she suffered horrific burns to 65 per cent of her body after getting caught in a grassfire while running an ultramarathon through Western Australia.
The marathon runner was placed in a medically-induced coma for a month, while all the fingers on her right hand, as well as two on her left, were amputated.
Even after she woke up, she spent the next six months recovering in hospital. Since then, she had more than 200 surgeries and took two years to fully recover.
A lot of that time was spent wearing a full-body protective material mask, which also covered her face, to shield her delicate, burned skin from the elements.
She was only allowed to remove the compression suit for an hour a day, so spent years forced to hide her beautiful smile under a dark mask.
The compression mask Turia wore to protect her skin.
(Image: Facebook)
She wore long sleeves to shield her skin from the harsh elements.
(Image: Facebook)For the vivacious and bubbly young woman, having to remain hidden from the world was almost as painful as her life-threatening injuries.
But now, thanks to Turia’s gorgeous Instagram account, we know exactly what Turia looks like and are treated to gorgeous photos of the 31-year-old and her young family – her fiancé Michael Hoskin and the couple’s son, Hakavai.
READ NEXT: Inside Turia Pitt and Michael Hoskin’s amazing love story
Turia unashamedly loves a selfie and frequently posts gorgeous pics of herself on social media.
(Image: Instagram)
What a stunner!
(Image: Instagram)It’s a miracle she even survived, but Turia has used the tragedy to fuel her incredible public advocacy and philanthropic efforts, raising money for humanitarian organisation ReSurge International.
“I’ve had to claw my way back into life – learn to walk, to talk. All the things I had taken for granted before became seemingly impossible tasks,” Turia told The Australian Women’s Weekly
“We all have that inner strength, but rarely do we get the chance to see how incredible we truly are,” she said of her insatiable drive.
Turia is open with her fans on social media about what she called “the before” – her life before the fire hit.
She often posts throwback photos of her family and of Michael, and these photos are bittersweet – a gorgeous young woman in the prime of her life, unaware of what challenges life is about to throw her.
READ NEXT: Turia Pitt reveals the one crucial life lesson she will pass onto her son
Turia and her fiance Michael pictured before the fire.
(Image: AAP)
The couple are still together to this day.
(Image: Facebook)And Turia loves nothing more than a family #ThrowbackThursday or #FlashbackFriday, as you can see by these gorgeous old family photos she’s posted on Facebook.
The first pic below is of a young Turia in 2009 with her family at Christmas.
And you can also see just how adorable she was as a baby!
Turia pictured during Christmas 2009 with her brothers.
(Image: Facebook)
Turia (left) with her mother as a baby.
(Image: Facebook)
Turia (right) giving the camera the sass she still shows off today!
(Image: Facebook)Throughout all of this, Turia’s fiancé Michael has been by her side.
Although he proposed to Turia in 2015, Michael revealed he planned on proposing – and even bought a ring! – years beforehand.
Michael actually bought the ring when Turia was in intensive care back in 2011, immediately after the fire.
“When Turia was in intensive care after her accident, I went out and bought a diamond ring,” Michael told The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2015.
“I showed it to my dad as we stood by her hospital bedside and said, ‘If she lives, I am going to marry her.’ Dad just looked at me and said, ‘Good on you, mate’.”
Turia and Michael have been together for almost 10 years.
(Image: Instagram)
Couple dressing for the ‘gram.
(Image: Instagram)So why did he wait so long to pop the question?
“I didn’t want to propose until the time was right. I didn’t want to rush it – after the accident,” Michael said.
“But the timing hasn’t been right until now,” Michael said at the time.
“We talked about marriage before Turia’s accident, but the past four years have been the toughest of both of our lives and it’s really only been the last six months that I feel like we’ve returned to normal, back to the way things used to be between us. It’s just a good time for us now. It just feels natural.”
WATCH BELOW: Turia’s incredible journey back to health. Story continues after video.
But despite the wait and all the talk of marriage, the proposal was still a huge surprise.
“Michael’s my life partner. I’ve known that for years. And we’ve talked about marriage for as long as I can remember and yet the proposal still came as a surprise,” Turia told The Australian Women’s Weekly last December..
“I can say without a shadow of doubt that the version of myself that I love the most is the version that I am when I’m with Michael. He’s my best friend. He knows me better than anyone. He not only lets me be me but he celebrates me – and indulges every single one of my crazy adventures.”
