Stephanie Browitt is a 24-year-old who survived a toxic volcanic island explosion which killed her sister and dad and left her with serious, life-threatening burns.
She says the pain of losing them is a pain that never goes away.
Stephanie is evidently a very brave girl; surviving horrific burns to 70 percent on her body, she’s been through a lot during her recovery which is still ongoing.
The tragedy happened in 2019 when she went together with her mother, father, and sister, on a cruise to celebrate her sister’s birthday and also visited the New Zealand’s White Island where the terrible explosion that changed their lives forever happened.
The Eruption that Took the Lives of People Who Were on a Vacation
The volcano where the explosion happened is a popular destination for tourists and it erupted on December 9, 2019 and spewed ash, gasses, and steam all over.
Sadly, more than 20 tourists died in the explosion while another 26 were severely injured. The sightseers from Australia, Germany, China, the US, Malaysia, and Britain were taken to this dangerous location.
While on a cruise of a lifetime on the Ovation of the Seas, the Browitt family was struck by a disaster, some 48 km offshore.
The girls’ mom, Marie, remained on board of the tourist ship while their dad Paul was together with Stephanie and Krystal, the other sister, on White Island when the sudden explosion occurred.
Stephanie Survives, but the Pain of Losing Her Dad & Sister Remains
Both Paul and Stephanie were in a coma and were flown to different burns units. Unfortunately, Krystal, 21 at the time, died in the explosion. Unfortunately, their dad Paul, one month after the disaster lost his life too.
Stephanie says that she’s been through so much pain, tears, sweat, moments of giving up and days she wanted to hit something so bad.
She’s a survivor of third-degree burns and has lost parts of her fingers and she’s sharing her journey on her Instagram. She says that dealing with the loss of her dad and sister is the most painful and the worst nightmare that came true.
Stephanie often says she deals with anxiety and things aren’t necessarily getting easier. One of her biggest wishes is to be able to go back in time and to be with them-she says her heart aches for them every single day.
Stephanie Is Not Giving Up, She Has the Support of Her Mom & Her Community
A page on GoFundMe has been set up to support the family after the tragedy they’ve experienced and the long recovery process that’s necessary for Stephanie.
She underwent several skin graft surgeries and numerous other medical procedures to get where she’s now.
She recently wrote on her Instagram that hard work pays off and she doesn’t miss a chance to post about her progress on this social media.
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