Turia Pitt: "I thought I’d wake up in the burns unit, but instead I woke up in ICU."

Turia Pitt’s scary moment after her latest operation.

Turia Pitt, 27, is the inspirational woman who, against all odds, survived being trapped in a bush fire that caused serious burns to over 70 per cent of her body.

In the years since the 2011 incident, Pitt has spent countless hours in hospital undergoing reconstructive surgery. Now, her family say that her latest procedure, in which she received a new nose, is the final step in her recovery.

But Pitt’s surgery wasn’t without complications. She was expecting to wake up in the burns unit, but instead woke up in the ICU after she stopped breathing on the surgery table.

Her mother and boyfriend were by her side in hospital when the complications began.

Related: Hundreds of thousands of Australians watched Turia Pitt remove her mask.

“We went to the hospital to be there when she came out and we thought, ‘It’s the end of the journey, she’s getting her nose!’,” Pitt’s mother, Celestine Vaite, said.

“But then we heard the cardiac arrest alarm go off and the head nurse running towards the operating room and we thought she was gone.

“I said, ‘God, don’t you dare. She’s fought so hard, this girl. She fought to get out of bed, she fought to walk, she fought to accept – don’t you dare do that to her!’

“When I saw her, I went to kiss her feet and I said, ‘These feet will walk again.’ Michael and I were crying.”

Pitt is now recovering from her surgery and has spoken to Woman’s Day about the aftermath.

“I’m feeling good,” Pitt said.

Related: Finally. Justice for burn victim and ultra-marathon runner, Turia Pitt.

“When I see old photos of myself, I can’t believe I didn’t have a nose for so long…It is a definite improvement. My face is more relaxed; it was quite tight before.”

Pitt also appeared on The Today Show to discuss her journey. You can watch the video below.