The Wellington firefighter burned in a fire last month hopes to be discharged from hospital early next week.
Senior Firefighter Troy Mahupuku was transferred from the Middlemore National Burns Unit in Auckland to the Hutt Hospital Burns Unit earlier this week.
He is making a rapid recovery and is enjoying catching up with his crew and friends in Lower Hutt.
“I’ve had no pain for weeks and am feeling pretty good. I’ve lost 23 kg, a lot of it muscle mass, so I’m a bit weaker than I was.”
Troy has gone through over a dozen different surgical procedures including several grafts for his back which was severely burned. He is now looking forward to getting back into his own house.
“I’ve missed having home time with my partner Jess, just sitting down on the couch watching a movie – so that’s one of the first things on the list to do when I go home.”
He said he’s grateful for all the help and support he has had from the Fire Service, his fellow firefighters and the public, including his neighbours who have looked after his dog.
Troy is hoping he could be back at work, at least on light duties, in less than a year.