Five years after surviving a catastrophic volcanic eruption, burn survivor Stephanie Coral Browitt is offering a candid look at her recovery journey.
In 2019, the 28-year-old Australian was on a Royal Caribbean cruise with her family in New Zealand when she took a tour with her father and sister Krystal on the active volcano White Island.
When the volcano suddenly erupted, Browitt was severely injured, suffering third-degree burns to over 70% of her body and losing eight fingers.
Tragically, the disaster claimed the lives of 22 people, including her father and sister.
Six years on from the horrific life-changing incident, Browitt has taken to TikTok to open up about what her day-to-day life looks like.
“I thought I'd give you guys an update on what my day-to-day life looks like, compared to what it initially looked like,” she said, showing a clip of herself moisturizing her legs while wearing medical gloves.
“First of all, yes, I am still moisturizing and looking after my skin all over my body,” Browitt explained. “My skin texture has improved so much and I want to make sure that it stays that way, so every day morning and night I'm moisturized and I rub it in very deeply so that my skin really soaks it up.”
Browitt's meticulous skincare routine continues with serum on her face “to help battle some of the redness and discoloration” on the skin, followed by moisturizer to “keep my skin hydrated," and then sunscreen.
"Learning to love myself in my new skin has taken time," she told PEOPLE in March. "I was extremely self-conscious and worried about being judged every day.”
Browitt also revealed in the video that she attends weekly occupational and physical therapy sessions to maintain her strength and mobility.
She shared footage of her hand in a water tub, her therapist evaluating progress, and clips of her training in the gym.
“I find that by staying on top of my strength and stretching, my body and my skin both feel better for it,” she added.
Browitt's journey to reclaim her life comes in stark contrast to the tragedy that recently unfolded on Mount Rinjani, a perilous active volcano on the Indonesian island of Lombok.
Juliana Marins, a 26-year-old Brazilian traveler and pole dancer, fell nearly 1,000 feet into the volcano’s crater while hiking with a tour group on June 21. After growing fatigued on the trail, she was advised to rest by the group’s guide. When he returned, she was gone.
“While heading to the summit of Rinjani on the way to the Cemara Tunggal area, the victim experienced fatigue and the guide at that time advised her to rest,” East Lombok Police spokesperson AKP Nikolas Osman said, per BBC News. “However, by the time he returned to fetch her, the Brazilian woman was already missing.”
Drone footage later confirmed she had survived the fall. Injured but alive, she was spotted sitting on a steep grey slope deep in the crater.
Rescue teams quickly mobilized, deploying six teams, two helicopters, and industrial rescue equipment, but they faced brutal conditions, including poor visibility and rugged terrain.
“It was so cold, it was really, really tough,” one member of the hiking group told local media. Another added: “It was really early, before sunrise, in bad visibility conditions with just a simple lantern to light up the terrain.”
Despite desperate efforts, by the time rescuers reached her, Marins had died from her injuries and prolonged exposure.
"After four days of work, hindered by adverse weather, terrain, and visibility conditions in the region, teams from Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency found the body of the Brazilian tourist," Brazil’s government confirmed in a statement.
Our thoughts are with Juliana's family at this time.