A survivor of the White Island eruption has revealed what motivated her to keep fighting for her life, even after her father and sister died in the tragedy.
Australian woman Stephanie Browitt, 24, suffered burns to 70 percent of her body when Whakaari/White Island erupted on December 9 2019, killing 22 people.
She was hospitalised for six months before she was able to return to her home in Melbourne, and still wears compression garments on her face and body to help with healing.
Browitt said on Wednesday it was her puppy Arlo who motivated her throughout those gruelling six months in hospital.
"Whilst in hospital, I hated the thought of missing my puppy grow up. He was only six months [old] when this happened and I knew he was suffering in a different way, confused as to where his family was," she wrote to Instagram.
"I made it my mission to get better not only to be back home with my mum but to also see my fur baby again. He was my motivation and because of him I kept going and never gave up."
She described Arlo as the "biggest joy" of her life adding that the six-month wait to see him was well worth it: "He couldn't have been more excited and full of love."
Arlo's help didn't stop there, the pup pushed Browitt to gain further mobility once she was home too.
"Once home one of my biggest goals was to also be able to hold a leash firmly and walk him again," she explained.
"It makes me so happy knowing that I can.
"He definitely makes it hard sometimes, 35kg of fluff pulling me every time he wants to make another dog friend but it's so worth it."
Browitt frequently uses her social media to provide candid updates on her recovery. In February she described how a gun salute on Australia Day left her "shaking in fear" as it triggered her PTSD of the eruption.
"Unfortunately, we weren't warned of or knew of the [21-gun] salute to commemorate Australia Day," she wrote.
"As you can imagine the loud noises and the strong smoke set off my PTSD and I was left crying as past memories flooded my mind. I was stuck shaking in fear as I held on to mum for protection."
Following a significant probe, 13 parties were charged in relation to the deaths of the 22 people who died in the eruption.
The tourist companies facing charges are Whakaari Management Ltd, Volcanic Air Safaris Ltd, White Island Tours Ltd, Kahu New Zealand Ltd, Aerius Ltd, ID Tours Ltd, Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd and Inflite Charters Ltd.
Also facing charges are GNS and the National Emergency Management Agency.
The three individuals are James, Peter and Andrew Buttle. The Buttle family owns the island, and all three men are directors of Whakaari Management Ltd - which is also charged.
Under the WorkSafe charges each organisation faces a maximum fine of $1.5 million, and the individuals could be charged $300,000.
The Buttle's are being charged for failing to exercise due diligence over the Health and Safety obligations over the company they have significant influence over.
