Everything to Live For: The Inspirational Story of Turia Pitt

by Pitt, Turia

  The best operation was the one to fix my left hand. The burns had caused my hand to curl over into a fist and it was virtually useless. Professor Maitz advised that we shouldn’t do the hand until I could touch my face. They surgically straightened my left hand (it’s now permanently fixed at an angle of 30 degrees). I couldn’t believe how good it was to have a functional hand; I could open doors, brush my teeth, use my computer better and so on.

  As Michael had become my full-time carer, whenever I had dressings, it was his job to change them. When I didn’t have dressings, I could hop out of the shower and Michael would put a towel around me and help me get my clothes on. When I had dressings, a shower was inevitably followed by a dressing so I hated getting in that shower. Having the dressings changed was painful and I’d get shitty, and Michael would get upset because he was causing me pain – but he couldn’t help it; it was something he had to do. We dealt with it by acknowledging that it would be over when it was finished; that I would continue to heal and one day I would have no dressings at all.

  Some of my compression suits were too tight over certain joints. I would only wear them if they were comfortable, and a lot of effort went into getting them right. They were initially too tight over my elbows and wore my skin down until I had two huge wounds. I was so upset as they had only just healed and they had taken a couple of months to heal. Then they were too tight over my knees and made the skin on my knees break down. Everything I have now is fantastic. I wear a short-sleeved compression suit that looks like a short-sleeved wettie, and a special bra with arm sleeves that came from France. Occupational therapists attached to Concord Hospital in Sydney measure and fit me for the garments.

  Right now I still can’t go in chlorinated water but we were told salt water would be good for healing. The first time I got back in the water was in March, only a few weeks after I came home. Michael and Janine took me to the local saltwater pool; I wore my boardies over tights. Mum turned up, and we all walked down the steps at the shallow end and I walked with their support across the pool from one side to the other (about 5 metres). We did that five times and afterwards I was exhausted. I needed their support because I was still a bit frail and might have toppled over. Being in the water felt terrible; it stung my wounds and it was cold. But I knew it was good for my skin and I knew that my life revolved around the water so I would have to get used to it.

  In April 2012, Michael and I flew to Perth so I could give evidence at the Western Australia Government’s inquiry into the fire. I was determined to be there but it was an extreme effort and a very emotional time for me as I was still very unwell. Kate was flying over from Melbourne and we arranged to all stay at the same hotel. It was the first time I’d seen Kate since the fire; we cried when saw each other and then compared battle scars. We had not had much contact until then. Hully and Shaun were there too and after giving our evidence we all went out for lunch. I puzzled over what we were celebrating. Were we celebrating the fact that Kate and I were badly burnt? Michael and I left lunch early and I curled up in bed and cried for the rest of the day.

  The first 60 Minutes program went to air the following month and showed a clip of Kate and me walking into the inquiry and we both looked as frail as we were. 60 Minutes was overwhelmed by the response it got to my story and so was I. Its mailbox was filled and Ali sent me all the personally written letters, sometimes accompanied by pictures drawn by children. I found the experience quite moving. Here are some of the comments from the 60 Minutes’ email:

  We should all take a Leaf out of Turia Pitts book what an amazing individual after everything she has been through she’s still shockingly positive and calm about her whole situation, I hope she has a long happy life with her totally devoted partner by her side what a beautiful couple I wish them all the best.

  Carmen

  An indescribable journey by an inspirational lady. Thank you dear Turia for sharing your story. It is a story that will be kept in my heart, where it will never be forgotten.

  MarkThompson

  Turia Pitt is a true inspiration. With her positive outlook on life, she has everything she needs to succeed in the future. My husband suffered 65% 3rd degree burns 13 years ago and it hasn’t stopped him from achieving his dreams. Turia shares his same determination, drive and passion for life. I feel like we were watching our story on screen and just want to pass on our best wishes to Turia and her partner, we have walked in your shoes and there truly is a wonderful future ahead for you . . . although you already know that!

  Coreena Musilino

  Turia, you are an inspiration to us all. You are a triumph to the human spirit against all the odds. May I wish you all the best in your recovery and with the amazing Michael by your side; you have so much to look forward to. Your drive and ambition will get you wherever you want to go . . . But where are the Racing the Planet race organisers? They appear to claim no responsibility but to not show a scrap of concern for those injured is not only insensitive, it’s just plain wrong. Come on Racing the Planet – step up to the plate and help these athletes who are so clearly in need of help.

  Natalie, Ulladulla.

  The second segment about me went to air in August 2012 and once again the 60 Minutes mailbox was full of similar comments.

  After a while life settled into a routine. Rehabilitation had become a full-time job, and even today still plays a big role in my life. I was up at 7.30 am and breakfast was followed by a protein shake (protein, banana and egg). Then Michael would drag me out of the house for a quick warm-up walk before physio. Even though our walks were usually gentle they would really tire me out. After physio with Janine, I’d go down to Mum’s for lunch and a massage. Professional masseuse Nicola Parnell is one of Mum’s neighbours and she gave Mum a massage table, which was a great help for us. Sometimes Julie would come down and help as well. Later Nicola took over doing the massage from Mum. In the afternoon Dad would take me to the Xtreme Fitness gym for muscle strengthening. I was very determined to get stronger. Because I couldn’t lift weights, Dad organised some wrist splints with hooks to attach the weights to. After the gym I would return home exhausted. At first I used to just zone out in front of the telly but as my energy levels increased I was able to start studying again.

  Little by little I started making progress. I learnt things like how to dress myself and to use my pincer grip to undo buttons. Janine suggested kayaking would be good exercise and I bought a pedal kayak so I could propel the kayak with my feet as I couldn’t paddle. Janine was the first person to go kayaking with me; we went to Burrill Lake and it was fun. After that I started going with Michael or a friend. I’d loved bike riding enough to enter a triathlon in Kununurra but it was now impossible for me to ride a normal bike. Janine suggested getting an adult trike, which I did, and that enabled Michael and me to go riding together. But I will ride a normal bike again one day.

  The biggest challenge was being able to feed myself; I was very thin, and having others feed me was not conducive to weight gain. I had left the hospital weighing 47 kilograms and I still wasn’t gaining weight. The occupational therapists in the Burns Unit had made me an extended spoon but I didn’t like it; limited mobility in my wrist made it very hard to twist it to my mouth. My aim was to be able to feed myself before the first anniversary of the fire. I found some special cutlery in a local shop that caters for people with disabilities and it was easier to use. I finally managed to get my fork to my mouth in July 2012. I was trying very hard; the fork was wobbly and everyone at the table was looking at me, willing the fork towards my mouth. ‘Don’t watch me!’ I told them crossly. They all tried not to look at my struggle; but when I got it to my mouth everyone at the table was happy.

  I was finally able to touch my face with my left hand in September 2012. That was a huge moment and everyone cried, not just me. I am still working on getting my right arm to my face.

  A year after I took my first wobbly steps in the ocean pool, I was swimming half a kilometre over arm and
breaststroke. I felt a bit uncoordinated and probably didn’t look too graceful but that didn’t matter. I can go in the surf with Michael but I don’t really enjoy it much yet as I am still a bit weak and the waves knock me around. But I do it because the more I do it the stronger I’ll become. I will eventually be able to surf again – I just need my right elbow to be more flexible and I also have to be able use my hands to push myself off the board.

  I haven’t yet got to the stage with running where I enjoy it; it hurts around the ankles, where it feels quite stiff, and it hurts my knees. I do beach sprints on soft sand and the first time Michael timed me doing 100 metres in 21 seconds I was stoked. I did my first public run (sort of) in Sydney’s City2Surf in August 2012 and managed to walk 8 kilometres; 60 Minutes came along for that. A couple of weeks later Michael and I flew down to Melbourne so I could participate in the Ultra Spirit fun run in the Botanical Gardens, a fundraising event for both Kate and me organised by Samantha Gash, a friend of Kate’s who was also a runner in the Kimberley Ultramarathon.

  It was quite sad that Kate wasn’t able to participate because she was back in hospital, having just had half her foot amputated. Michael and I visited her in hospital but I could only stay for a short time; I think she put on a brave face (like I often do) for our visit, but I could tell she was upset about the foot and everything else. Who wouldn’t be?

  SIXTEEN

  A LIFE BEYOND

  THERE ARE SO MANY MORE THINGS I CAN ACHIEVE OVER THE rest of my life. I am very goal driven and wake up every morning with a plan. One of my early plans was to see if there was somewhere in the world that might be able to give me some additional help with my rehabilitation, especially my scars. I found the Ster Centre, a specialised clinic set up by Dr Jean Ster in the pretty town of Lamalou-les-Bains in the south of France. There was a range of medical rehabilitation available there and one dealt with burns injuries.

  Professor Maitz thought it would be a really good idea for me to go; he told me the centre was one of the best in the world – offering lots of hydrotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise and mental strengthening. I wrote to the doctor in charge, Dr Nicolas Frasson, explaining my situation, and he wrote to Professor Maitz asking for more information about me. Professor Maitz gave him a detailed description to enable him to take over my treatment while I was there. I booked myself in for six weeks’ treatment and Michael and I flew over in mid-March.

  It’s about a twenty-three-hour flight from Sydney to Paris, not to mention the three-hour drive from Ulladulla to Sydney. Professor Maitz had advised that I would need to go business class because otherwise I would not be able to sit for that long with my burnt bum.

  Once in France, we hired a car and drove down; when we were driving into Lamalou-les-Bains, I was so nervous I kept grabbing Michael’s hand. ‘What if I don’t like the clinic? What if they are mean to me? What if no one understands me?’ I was kicking myself for travelling across the world to a clinic that I didn’t know much about.

  Luckily, I discovered that all my worries were unfounded. The clinic was absolutely amazing. I stayed in accommodation on-site during the week. Michael would go off exploring different places to surf and snowboard then come and collect me for the weekends, and we would tour around so I got to see a bit of France, which was fantastic. We went to Versailles, the Alps, the small town of Lodève, and Toulouse; 60 Minutes came over and filmed us in Paris. They then came down to the clinic to film all the things I would do in a typical day and the different treatments I was undergoing.

  The treatment was full-on and each day was hectic. I’d start with a group warm-up and stretching session, after which I went to something called mechanotherapie, where I was rigged up in a system of pulleys and left for forty-five minutes – a bit like being drawn and quartered but not as painful. Next I’d have a facial where my face was stretched and massaged, after which I was treated with an LPG machine, a device for treating connective tissue developed by Frenchman Louis-Paul Guitay which sucks up the skin and pushes it between rollers. That was followed by a facial exercise class aimed at improving facial expression. Then I’d go to ergotherapie – a group class designed to improve hand function. My favourite part of the day was a body massage combined with the LPG machine on my body; it was followed by my least favourite part of the day – when I changed into my swimmers and got hosed with high-pressure water. Then I had a chemical-free spa and after getting dressed had hand stretches, followed by twenty minutes of plateau canadienne – this was basically a board which immobilises your hand. It’s fine for the first ten minutes and then it kills for the second ten. To up the torture levels, they put a splint in my mouth to increase the range with which I can open my mouth and smile. The last treatment of the day was another session of ergotherapie. At the end of each day I was bloody exhausted and usually went to sleep around 9 pm.

  I experienced improvements quite soon, especially in my flexibility. When Michael picked me up at the weekends he would immediately notice the difference in my skin: reduced redness and an increased suppleness. At the clinic I became friends with an Irish guy called Matthew; the poor guy had worn a sheep costume to a Halloween party and some idiot set him alight. No one else spoke English so it was good to have someone to compare battle scars with.

  One of the best things about the clinic was regaining my independence from Michael and my family. It made me understand that there is a piece inside of me that the fire didn’t get – that I am still an independent woman; I am still Turia.

  The clinic was also good at showing me little ways to improve my self-reliance, such as providing a gadget to help me put my shoes on. Those things were very good for my self-confidence. The clinic made me a whole lot of splints to stretch my hand out and a hard plastic mask which, although not comfortable, did wonders for my skin.

  Everything I learnt to do at the clinic helped me become more comfortable in my skin and with my skin and I took the big step of going without my mask in public. And you know what – no one even looked twice. I also regained some of my old Turia confidence – I can speak a bit of French (albeit badly) so it was me that ordered our meals, gave instructions to the taxi drivers and organised our weekends etc.

  Coming home we arrived in Sydney at 11 pm at night and had to leave first thing in the morning as I had been booked to speak at the Shoalhaven Women’s Conference. There were about 300 women and I received my first ever standing ovation. I spoke about my experiences before the fire and leading up to it and what I remembered about the day. Then I gave an overview of my time in hospital and subsequent rehabilitation. Here is how I ended my speech:

  I’m not saying that this experience has been a walk in the park. I’m not saying that I never lost it, that I never lashed out at the people I loved, or that I didn’t break down in tears when confronted with the reality of my journey. But overall, I tried to remain positive and optimistic about the future.

  And what is there not to be optimistic about? After all, there is a lot of hope for burn survivors these days – if doctors can change Michael Jackson’s skin colour, surely there’s a lot of things they can do to improve our quality of life. My brainy surgeons can do anything – even turn a man into a woman, and a woman into a man. I think making me a new nose will be relatively easy by comparison. Although, as my surgeon has told me, I will look like a werewolf for a period of three weeks following my nose operation. When I asked if I would be able to go outside, he advised only if I wanted to scare the little kiddies away.

  I put up with all the operations because I focus on having a better result. Sometimes you need to take one step back to move two steps forward. As technology improves at its current exponential rate, my clever surgeons will be able to do more and more. I’ll probably have surgeries for the rest of my life. But that’s simply because I never give up – I want the best results, and I’ll do anything to get them. I’ve actually just returned from a six-week stint at a burns clinic in France, and I reckon my family will be blown awa
y by the improvements in my skin when they see them.

  So, where am I now? I reckon we live in one of the most beautiful places in Australia, I’ve got great support from my family and friends, and I’ve got the best partner in the world. I’m studying my Masters in Engineering, I’m working towards an MBA and I’m also writing a book. I’ve got plenty of goals for the future, such as having a family with Michael. For now though, I’m focusing on my upcoming operations as well as the 20km Lake Argyle swim, which will take part in this time next year.

  When I think about what happened to me, a lot of questions spring to mind. Was it fate that I was there in the fire? Maybe I have a different purpose in life now. Or maybe I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t have the answers to any of those questions, and I don’t think anyone really knows until they cross over. But I do believe in making the best out of your circumstances. Never ever give up. Life can deal you some rotten cards sometimes, but it’s how you play which is important.

  I was so excited that everyone had enjoyed my speech; it gave me confidence for a future in public speaking.

  I have come a long way from the total despair days in the Concord Burns Unit. Naturally anyone reading my story will know what amazing love and support I have had from my family – I don’t know many mums who are as cool as mine. I have had Dad and Genji to help me get strong and younger brothers to make me laugh; they were both shorter than me when I went to Kununurrra, but now tower over me. They are still so sweet and kind – nothing is too much trouble. But to have the love of someone like Michael is beyond special. And he must owe much of his lovely nature to his parents, Julie and Gary.

  I’ve gone from not being able to do anything much when I first came home to having a really busy life. I particularly like studying, so I’ve been keeping my brain active. In 2012 I started my Masters degree in Mining Engineering at the University of New South Wales, and in 2013 I enrolled to do my Masters of Business Administration with Southern Cross University. My days are extremely full – physio, the LPG machine, facial exercises, yoga, personal training, study and socialising.