Stephanie survived the White Island volcano eruption. This is her life now.

On December 9, 2019, 47 unsuspecting tourists and tour guides were on Whakaari / White Island when its active volcano erupted.

Closest to the crater were the Browitt family; daughters Stephanie and Krystal and father Paul.

At first, they didn't realise what was happening and took photos of the smoke coming out of the volcano. A few seconds later, a tour guide screamed.

"Run!"

Watch: Stephanie Browitt removes her compression mask on 60 Minutes. Post continues below video.

"You could hear the sound of all the rocks hitting the ground and people just screaming because no one knew what to do," Stephanie previously told 60 Minutes in 2020.

"Everyone was just petrified. And then when it hit, it was just darkness. I didn't think I would survive. I thought I was going to die. It was just rolling me over. The force was just that strong, that my whole body was being shoved and pushed and rolled onto the ground. I was just hitting things while getting burnt at the same time.

"It was the most terrifying moment of my life. The ground was burning hot. And I could tell I was burnt really badly. I could see my hand and I could see nails hanging off and skin loose."

A rescue effort.

After the eruption, Stephanie remembers the sound of her dad calling her name multiple times before their rescue.

"I realised he was checking up and making sure I was still awake the whole time," she said.

"I was just so happy to hear his voice because I thought I'd lost him."

With the volcano visible from New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, the eruption quickly became obvious on the mainland. In the town of Whakatāne, Kahu Air helicopter pilots Jason Hill and Tom Storey headed straight for the island.

The pilots landed close to the volcano crater an hour after the eruption and believed professional help was not far behind them.

But a fleet of 11 search and rescue helicopters remained at Whakatāne, with authorities not sending them straight away due to safety concerns.

Tour operators and vessels that had recently left the island returned following the eruption, rescuing several tourists from the island's edge before escaping the ash plumes.

When Hill and Storey landed an hour later, Paul managed to get their attention. Paul and Stephanie were among the 12 people transported from the island in their helicopters.

Two-and-a-half hours later, a professional rescue helicopter carrying paramedics and St John Medical Director Dr Tony Smith arrived — but by that time, all the survivors had been removed.

Krystal Browitt. Image: Facebook.

The body of Krystal, who had just celebrated her 21st birthday, was recovered from the island days later.

Stephanie previously told 60 Minutes she wouldn't be alive if Hill and Storey hadn't leapt into action.

"Those helicopter pilots are heroes because that's not their job. They didn't sign up for that. And they still chose to put their lives at risk for us," she said.

The survivors felt they were left for dead by rescuers and believed more people could've been saved if they'd arrived sooner.

Dr Smith told reporter Sarah Abo he understood now that rescue teams could have reached the island sooner.

"We have reflected, knowing what we know now, we could have flown to the island earlier," he said.

"But had we gone to the island sooner, I'm absolutely medically confident ... unfortunately, we were not going to save any more additional people."

"It broke me."

Stephanie found out the fates of her family after waking from a coma.

"I found out that my sister had passed away after I'd awoken from my coma," Stephanie previously told 60 Minutes.

"It haunts me not knowing what she went through, and it upsets me knowing that I wasn't there with her."

Paul died from his injuries on January 12, 2020.

"It broke me a little," Stephanie said.

"I wish I could thank my dad and tell him that he was a hero. I wish I could just let him know how amazing his actions were on that day.

"Sometimes I just question why I'm here. Why was it me out of everyone?"

Twenty-one people died as a result of the Whakaari / White Island eruption.

Removing the mask.

In 2022, Stephanie was finally able to remove her compression face mask for the first time.

Appearing on 60 Minutes, the 26-year-old said the moment felt "emotional and scary".

"It is actually quite daunting as much as it is exciting," she shared.

Looking in the mirror, Stephanie said she saw "a person who has gone through so much more than I ever expected to go through" in life.

"I see a very tormented person," she said.

"I definitely think I'm tougher than I ever thought I would be... I think I have learnt that the fight for survival is a real thing. I was fighting every day to survive, just to get back to myself... I never knew I had this in me."

After the incident, Stephanie said she had to completely "start from scratch".

"I thought my future was pretty bleak, and it was quite scary," she said.

"I had to start from scratch like a baby. Sitting upright, getting out of bed, taking my first few steps, even feeding myself – I had to relearn all of those skills from scratch and they didn’t come easy at all. It was incredibly difficult."

“I've come a long way from day one.”

As the months passed, Steph pushed through excruciating pain and stunned everyone with her extraordinary progress, even surprising herself. #60Mins pic.twitter.com/FlJFf3VLvE

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) June 5, 2022

Looking back, the 26-year-old credits her recovery to her mother, Marie, who 'pushed her' through her recovery from day one.

"Whilst my scars are visible, she has her own that aren't visible, but she has always made sure to put me first," she said.

"I just hope my sister and dad can see me now and what I have gone through."

In 2023, Stephanie reflected on sharing the vulnerable moment of removing her mask with the world.

"Leading up to that moment I was overwhelmed by so many different emotions," she wrote on Instagram.

"I felt excited, nervous, scared, worried, over the moon and more. Leading up to filming I was concerned that I had made the wrong decision to do it on TV for the world to see."

But once she saw the reactions from friends and family, she knew she'd made the right choice.

"I made the right decision for myself and for others struggling out there," she said.

"I hoped that by sharing this moment with everyone, those struggling would find the will to continue with their own tough journeys and to keep on fighting. I also took some control back in my life that I had lost and was able to commemorate this huge, life-changing moment."

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A post shared by Stephanie Coral Browitt (@stephaniecoral96)

Stephanie's life now.

Stephanie suffered burns to 70 per cent of her body, including her face, arms, legs and back. She's undergone more than 20 surgeries and has had eight fingers amputated since December 2019.

She has documented her tough recovery on Instagram to more than 194,000 people.

Years on from the incident, Stephanie still undergoes treatment — ongoing laser treatments, steroid injections, day surgeries and good skincare for her scars.

Now, more than five years on from the incident, Stephanie has opened up about the next powerful step in her recovery.

"Learning to love myself in my new skin has taken time," she told People in a new interview. "I was extremely self-conscious and worried about being judged every day."

She recently reached a new milestone in her journey of self-acceptance, wearing a two-piece swimsuit for the first time since the disaster.

"Due to the fear of being so visible, vulnerable and judged, I haven't worn a swimsuit since before I suffered burns. Yet apparently all it took was a business trip to force me to face my fear," she wrote on Instagram.

"One big step forward was taken today, and I'm so glad I've finally jumped this scary hurdle."

Speaking to People, Stephanie said she spent time trying to find the right swimsuit, musing over whether she felt ready.

"When I wore it for the first time, I was nervous and could feel my heart racing," she said. However, that fear of judgement quickly disappeared when she realised that people "didn't care" what she looked like.

After the disaster, Stephanie struggled with her body image and identity in her new skin.

"Self-identity is huge throughout your teenage years and here I was having to start all over again. It was tough," she said. "For a long time, I was using clothing as a source of protection to hide my true self, my new skin."

But she's put in the work and, over time, found she was falling back in love with herself.

Looking back, Stephanie knows her life will never be the same as it once was. But now, her focus is on advocating for other burn survivors by sharing her story.

Meeting her heroes.

In January, Stephanie finally met her "heroes" Hill and Storey. Without them, she is adamant she wouldn't be here today.

"The hospital could not have worked their magic had Mark, Tom & Jason not taken me off of that island at the very moment when they did," she wrote on Instagram.

"Rescue wasn't their job, yet they took it on without a second thought. Their bravery, selflessness & heroism is unbelievable.

"It goes without saying that I can never thank them enough but I hope that by living my absolute greatest life they can see how grateful & determined I am to make the most of my second chance, the second chance they gave me."

Today, Stephanie uses her platform to embrace her skin and her story, raising awareness for burn survivors.

This article was first published in June 2022 and has been updated.

Feature image: Instagram/stephaniecoral96.