Executive PA Australasia October November 2016 | Página 13

Turia Pitt on
tackling adversity
Kirstie Bedford talks to burns survivor Turia Pitt
about her incredible courage and how you can
tackle adversity head-on – and win.
TURIA PITT HAS ENDURED more than most of
us will in a lifetime, but she doesn’t want your sympathy,
and she certainly doesn’t need it.
Being a victim doesn’t sit well with the 29 year old from
the small town of Mollymook on the south coast of NSW,
and it never has; but it was a position she found herself in
after she was caught in a bushfire while competing in an
ultra-marathon in the Kimberley region in 2011.
The former model and mining engineer received 65%
burns to her body and was told by doctors she’d never
walk, run or be independent again.
What she did next defined all odds.
THE FIRE
A fitness fanatic, the challenge of a 100-kilometre race
had appealed to the then 24-year-old.
“I loved to run, whenever I was stressed at the mine I’d
go out for a two hour run and it’d clear my mind.”
The race began like any other, but what she couldn’t
possibly know was that a raging bushfire was heading
straight for her and she became trapped in a gorge with
no-where to go.
Talking about it now doesn’t sit well with her, but she
says it was “kind of surreal”.
“It’s like a movie and there’s a lot of disbelief and
shock. Afterwards they flew me to Concord Hospital and
I was asleep for a month and woke up six months later.”
She says when she woke up she doesn’t really remember
that much because she was in a lot of pain and on a lot
of medication, but of course her fiancé Michael, and her
mother and other family were by her side.
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Despite losing the use of seven fingers and in immense
pain, she hadn’t lost her determination.
“I realised that if I did work hard and took steps each day
that I’d get results and so my goals were small .. like walking
five steps and doing stairs and they grew from there.”
She says of course it wasn’t all plain sailing.
“It’s like life, some days you have good days and other
days everything seems to go wrong and sometimes I felt
positive and others I felt like this is hard and I can’t do
this. No-one is invincible and I was in a lot of pain.”
She says it’s not something you easily move on from.
“You carry the trauma with you for the rest of your life,
it’s like losing a loved one ... it’s always with you.”
THE EARLY DAYS
Born in Tahiti, Turia’s family moved to the south coast of
New South Wales when she was three years old. She’d
always loved maths and science and chose mining because
she wanted an “adventurous job in remote locations”.
She says mining engineering suited her, even if she
didn’t typify the industry.
“When I first went to university one of the male
students in the class said, ‘what are you doing here, you’re
in the wrong class’ and I said no I’m not!”
Turia had only been working in the industry for about
a year when she competed in the ultra-marathon.
“Accidents happen all the time and
anyone can get injured, I’m not unique,
but what is unique is how I’ve rebuilt
my life, which is as good as, if not
better, than before.”
Two years later she was made redundant from the job
she hadn’t been able to return to and says rather than
waste her time and energy wondering why it happened
she’d rather move on.
“I just think mate, that’s what happened, now what am
I going to do to make my life better, and Michael’s the
same. We’re about looking towards the future. We’re not
whingers and we don’t complain.
“It doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t make you heal
quicker. If people want to complain, then I don’t want to be
around them and it doesn’t help my healing and recovery.”
Her first priority was to get fit again.
“My sense of self worth was closely tied to physical
abilities, so as soon as I could run and swim, that’s when
I felt more like me.”
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