Everything to Live For: Turia Pitty could Not Outrun the Fire But she was Not ready to Die

Everything to Live For is the story of one young woman's survival against extraordinary odds and is a remarkable testament to the human spirit

In September 2011, Turia Pitt, a beautiful 25-year-old mining engineer working her dream job in the far north of Western Australia, entered an ultra-marathon race that would change her life forever. Trapped by a fire in a gorge in the remote Kimberly region, Turia and five other competitors had nowhere to run. Turia survived with catastrophic burns to 70 per cent of her body. She has already had numerous operations and there are many more to come. While the story of Turia's survival involves many people—other race competitors, her rescuers, medical professionals—at its core is the strong will of Turia herself as she continues the long rehabilitation process with the loving support of her partner, Michael Hoskins, and that of their families in their New South Wales south coast hometown of Ulladulla, where the local community has rallied raising funds to help with huge medical bills. Michael, Turia's handsome teenage crush who became the love of her life, now cares for her as they plan a new life together; he is there to encourage Turia in her determination to move forward in an outwardly different body. Even though she is facing a future with many challenges, Turia is optimistic. She is driving again and studying for her master’s degree. She is walking in marathons and would one day like to run again. Above all, she wants her story to make a difference; she has a mission is to make skin donation a more prominent organ in the repertoire of donated organs. It is a miracle Turia lived when she was expected to die. But Turia was not ready to die—she had too much to live for.

Turia Pitt is a survivor of the 2011 100km Australian outback marathon grassfire ordeal that has left her with burns on over 64 percent of her body.