The girl’s life significantly turned on September 2, 2011, when she almost perished in a fire.
Nevertheless, Turia could not only survive the disaster but also improve her quality of life.
Forty participants began the 100-kilometer event that RacingThePlanet was holding that September day. The competitors could only cover a fourth of the distance before the nearby grass and bushes took fire.
Although these kinds of fires are frequent in Australia this time of year, the organizers neglected to take safety precautions beforehand, and numerous athletes, including Turia, were engulfed in flames.
The girl decided to go straight through the flames as it continued to get hotter. She thus sustained third-degree burns, with 65% of her body being scorched.
Turia was one of the contestants in the Miss Australia competition and had a career as a model before the catastrophe. She worked as a mining engineer in a diamond mine.
She dated Michael, a high school classmate.
The girl said that she lived up to her wildest expectations. But in a split second, everything was altered. She remembered asking herself why the doctors saved her life during that horrible time in the hospital.
Turia stayed in hospitals for a total of 864 days. More than 200 procedures were performed on her, including one to repair her nearly entirely burned-out nose. Amputating five fingers was necessary.
The injuries gradually recovered. Turia, however, could not force herself to leave the house. She had the impression that her deformed hands and face would draw the notice of others.
