Whakaari / White Island survivor Kelsey Waghorn has thanked everyone for their continued support during her recovery. Photo / Supplied
Whakaari / White Island survivor Kelsey Waghorn has thanked everyone for their continued support during her recovery. Photo / Supplied
She's endured blood clots, infections, skin grafts and full thickness burns to around 45 per cent of her body since an active volcano erupted underneath her.
But Whakaari/White Island survivor Kelsey Waghorn says she's "doing really well".
The 25-year-old doesn't remember much from her time in ICU after the disaster,which has killed 21 people - some of them colleagues from White Island tours.
Two days after Whakaari spewed steam and toxic gas from its depths, she had her arms, hands and a small portion of her stomach grafted.
"My legs, lower back and some touch ups on my upper arms had their donor/cadaver skin removed and were grafted on December 27th," Waghorn wrote in an update on her Givealittle page.
As this involved harvesting skin from her back and butt a second time, as well as some strips from her upper thighs, Waghorn wrote the procedures were uncomfortable, "to put it gently".
"By this stage, I'd been [painfully] upright only twice between these two graftings with a lot of assistance from my beautiful physio, family and a handful of nurses."
White Island as it erupted on December 9. Photo / Supplied
The marine scientist has undergone more than a dozen surgeries since the volcano blew.
"So there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into getting me where I am today after my final graftings."
Waghorn remains in hospital two months on from the volcanic blast.
"Monday marks 9 weeks since Whakaari decided she would clear her throat. 9 weeks since I received full thickness burns to about 45% of my body. 9 weeks since I lost work colleagues and good friends."
Fellow guides Tipene Maangi and Hayden Marshall-Inman were killed by the eruption.
Nineteen-year-old tour guide Jake Milbank remains in Middlemore Hospital, suffering burns to 80 per cent of his body.
An aerial view of Whakaari / White Island after the deadly eruption which claimed the lives of 21 people. Bay of Plenty Times photograph / George Novak
"I am fairly mobile now, albeit wobbly and minus some strength," Waghorn wrote.
"I am slowly regaining the use of both of my hands - my right is worse than my left. But I'm working on that everyday."
