Despite everything she went through, Turia not only survived the disaster but went on to greatly improve the quality of her life.
On that September day, forty competitors took part in the 100-kilometer race organized by RacingThePlanet.
They had covered only about a quarter of the course when the surrounding grass and shrubs suddenly caught fire.
Turia was one of the athletes who became trapped in the blaze.
As temperatures soared, the young woman pushed herself beyond her limits, even stepping barefoot into the flames. She suffered third-degree burns over sixty-five percent of her body.
Before the accident, Turia had been a successful model and even competed for the title of Miss Australia, where she was a finalist.
Her boyfriend at the time was Michael, a classmate from her senior year of high school.
Turia said she had achieved everything she had ever dreamed of, but in one instant, her entire world changed. She remembers lying in the hospital, wondering why doctors had managed to keep her alive when the odds were so heavily against her.
In total, Turia spent 864 days in medical facilities. She underwent more than two hundred surgeries, including one to rebuild her nearly completely burned-away nose. Five of her fingers had to be amputated.
Through it all, Turia and Michael’s relationship stayed strong. Even as she needed emergency treatment, Michael went to his father with a diamond ring and said, “If she survives, I will marry her.” His father replied, “Well done, man.”
Michael fed her, dressed her, and helped her relearn how to walk while she was in the hospital. He even quit his job so he could care for her full-time.
In 2015, Michael Hoskins proposed to her in the Maldives, using the same ring she had worn for four years. Their son, Hakawai, was born in December 2017, completing their family of three.