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Volcano Survivor Severely Burned In 2019 Shares Emotional Update Five Years Later
Stephanie Coral Browitt survived the horrific White Island volcano eruption in 2019, but she suffered painful and permanent burns.
However, five years after the catastrophic eruption, Stephanie has shared her current appearance and the extent she still goes to in order to recover and move on.
On December 9, 2019, a volcanic eruption occurred on Whakaari, also known as White Island, which is situated off the eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
On that fateful day, people were permitted to visit the island despite the volcano, known by its Māori name, Whakaar, reportedly displaying symptoms of disturbance in the weeks preceding its eruption.
Twenty-two persons, about half of the island’s population at the time, were killed by the eruption; most of them were US and Australian visitors.
A pyroclastic flow, which is composed of gas and volcanic particles, caused horrifying burns to another 25 injured people.
Stephanie, a 23-year-old Australian who had been on a cruise vacation in New Zealand, was among the injured.
Stephanie, now 28, spoke to PEOPLE in March of this year about the traumatic day she lost her sister Krystal and father Paul.
“Within seconds, we realized it was erupting and we all began to run for our lives. It all happened so fast that we had no chance of escaping it,” she said of the moment the volcano began to erupt.
Stephanie recalls thinking of her mother, who had remained on the ship because she had Multiple Sclerosis (MS), even though she was struck by the excruciating pyroclastic flow. She said, “She needs us, I have to survive for her.”
Although Stephanie survived, she spent a torturous six months in the hospital, where she had eight amputations and sustained full-thickness burns over 70% of her body, including her face, hands, legs, abdomen, back, and chest.
According to the NHS, a full-thickness burn occurs when damage is sustained to the epidermis, dermis, and subcutis, the three layers of skin.
The skin is frequently burned away, leaving behind dry, white, brown, or black skin without blisters, and the tissue beneath may seem pale or dark.
Throughout her protracted recuperation, Stephanie also benefited from whole-body compression garments, laser treatments, hyperbaric chambers, and other types of therapy, such as speech sessions.
“Learning to love myself in my new skin has taken time,” she stated. “I was extremely self-conscious and worried about being judged every day.”
Even though Stephanie has experienced a lot of loss, anguish, and struggle over the past five years, she has accomplished a lot, such as showing off her appearance to her 1.8 million TikTok followers and wearing a two-piece swimsuit for the first time since the accident.
“5 years on & this is what my burns care looks like now,” Stephanie wrote as the caption on her recent post, which showed an ordinary day in her life that still includes weekly occupational therapy for her hands.
Speaking of the therapy, she explained, “I think it still makes a huge difference for my hands and their function, whilst also looking after my skin.”
“The last thing I want is for my hands to go backwards and seems I’m still seeing positive changes I will continue going weekly.”
Stephanie continues to take care of her skin, applying oils and sun cream, and moisturising her entire body every day. These practices have helped her skin get better over time.
Even though Stephanie appears to be doing well and getting back on track, she told PEOPLE that it has been a gradual process.
“I was taught in hospital to take things one day at a time and that’s something I always remind myself of now,” she explained. “Otherwise, you’ll find it difficult to overcome anything.”
Her current objective is to use social media to share her story and advocate for other burn survivors who are similar to herself.
“Representation truly matters when it comes to healing. I needed that as I was recovering,” she explained. “Seeing other people with burns and living a good life gave me back hope that my future wasn’t all lost.”
The NZ business Whakaari Management Limited was convicted in 2023 of failing to “minimise risk” to the 22 accident victims.
Judge Evangelos Thomas criticised the firm, which authorises visits to the volcanic island, for their “astonishing failures,” according to the BBC.
A year later, a court in Auckland ordered the payment of $10.21 million (NZ) to the relatives of the victims and survivors.
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