Turia Pitt tells how she struggled when she needed surgery and would miss her son’s first day of school

Turia Pitt has had more than 200 medical procedures after she was badly burnt. But there was one surgery recently that hit her hard, and made her feel guilty as a mum. See the video.

Ultra marathon runner Turia Pitt has endured 200 operations since a wildfire in 2011 left her with burns to 65 per cent of her body.

But for all the pain and anguish, it was a more innocuous nose surgery that really shook the 37-year-old mentally.

“No one in Australia could fix my nose (and breathing) so I travelled to the US last year. And while the surgery wasn’t life saving, it would be a big improvement for me,” Pitt, mother to Hakavai, 6, and Rahiti, 4, said.

“I was really nervous before the operation, not because of the operation itself, but because I was going by myself … I was going to be lonely and in pain after.

“What cut me even more deep was that I was going to miss Hakavai’s first day of school. I felt like my love for my son was inferior.

“My love for him didn’t come up to scratch compared to everyone else’s photos I saw on Instagram.”

Ultra marathon runner Turia Pitt has endured 200 operations since a wildfire in 2011 left her with burns to 65 per cent of her body. Picture: Andy Baker

Despite trying to stay positive, Pitt — who has been open about her suicidal thoughts in the past following the fire — said she hit a new mental low during her trip.

“We all want to feel upbeat, positive and uplifted all the time because feeling like that does feel better than feeling stressed and anxious and down,” Pitt said.

“But it’s also not realistic and it’s not reflective of real life.

“I allowed myself to be vulnerable before I left for surgery and had the courage to ask family and friends for help.

“It hurt my ego to admit that I wasn’t self-sufficient. I felt desperate and needy, but I still did it.”

Pitt during her recovery after suffering burns from a grassfire in 2011. Picture: Supplied

Pitt has been open in the past about her mental health struggles. Picture: Andy Baker

Pitt is opening up about her struggles on Anytime Fitness’ new podcast “Tread Mates”, in a bid to raise awareness about the issue of suicide, which claims nine Australian lives daily.

Launching Thursday, the three-part series also features Osher Gunsberg and Paralympian Troy Sachs, encouraging Aussies to join the annual Tread As One 24-hour treadmill challenge for R U OK?

“It’s not about jumping out of bed, doing a superwoman pose and telling yourself that you’re strong and motivated and you’re ready to take on every day,” Pitt, who finished her first ironman triathlon in 2016, said.

Turia Pitt will be featuring in a new podcast with Anytime Fitness. Picture: Andy Baker

“I think it’s more about reminding yourself that things don’t happen overnight, committing to the grind, doing the work and taking the small steps that need to be taken every single day.

“What I’ve learned is that bad days aren’t permanent, and all I need to do is ride them out.”

Since 2019, Anytime Fitnes has raised $1.2m for the suicide prevention charity.

“Tread As One is a reminder that R U OK? conversations work best when they’re a part of our regular behaviour,” R U OK chief executive officer Katherine Newton said.

“Every conversation started supports our mission to ensure more people feel supported and connected when they need it most.”

Tread As One runs on October 12 at participating Anytime Fitness clubs nationwide. You can find out more information here.

Originally published as Turia Pitt tells how she struggled when she needed surgery and would miss her son’s first day of school