The 'human fireball' who finally has a new face: Extraordinary recovery of woman, 29, who was set alight by jealous wife who believed victim was seeing her husband

  • Natalie Dimitrovska set Dana Vulin on fire at her home in February 2012
  • Ms Vulin suffered third degree burns to more than 60 per cent of her body
  • Dimitrovska was sentenced to 17 years in jail for her drug affected crime 
  • Lawyers argue her sentence was 'excessive' for the harm caused
  • Her appeal will be heard in the Supreme Court of WA on Tuesday
  • Meanwhile, Ms Vulin has countless more reconstruction operations to go
  • Her scarring is so bad she can't straighten her elbows or lift her arms up

It’s been just over three years since Dana Vulin was set alight at her Perth home, resulting in horrific third degree burns to more than 60 per cent of her body and countless operations to reconstruct her scorched face, arms and torso.

Now the woman who turned her into a 'human fireball', leaving her unable to make simple movements such as straightening her elbows due to the agonising scarring, will argue her 17-year jail sentence was too severe.

Lawyers for Natalie Dimitrovska will on Tuesday, in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, claim that Ms Vulin was not as badly injured as she stated in court, based on footage that shows her recovery filmed for Channel 7's Sunday Night program.

Dimitrovska, who believed her former husband was involved with Ms Vulin and was envious of her beauty, vowed to ruin her ‘pretty little face’. She walked into Ms Vulin’s home on February 16, 2012, and hurled a bottle of methylated spirits over her setting her ablaze and changing the 29-year-old’s life in every way imaginable.

‘I lost my enter life, I know that sounds huge but people don’t understand the enormity of not having my functionality, it’s my independence, my sexuality, my everything,' Ms Vulin told Daily Mail Australia. 

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Road to recovery: Dana Vulin suffered horrific third degree burns to her face and body. Using skin taken from her legs, doctors have reconstructed the 29-year-old's scorched skin over countless operations during the past three years. Ms Vulin has many more operations to come and still suffers greatly with functionality

Road to recovery: Dana Vulin suffered horrific third degree burns to her face and body. Using skin taken from her legs, doctors have reconstructed the 29-year-old's scorched skin over countless operations during the past three years. Ms Vulin has many more operations to come and still suffers greatly with functionality

During Dimitrovska’s original trial, in Western Australia’s District Court, Ms Vulin described how she 'was pretty much instantly on fire' during the attack.

As she continues her long and painful recovery, spending most days in hospital and working with domestic violence and suicide prevention charities in her spare time, the dark prospect that Dimitrovska could be freed early looms. 

‘I’ve been given a life sentence and she’s complaining about 17 years,’ Ms Vulin said.

She found out a year ago that Dimitrovska was lodging an appeal to argue her sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent was ‘manifestly excessive’.

‘My understanding is she thinks it’s a sentence too long for what she has done. It’s just annoying I just want to move on and she’s already caused me enough pain, leave me alone,’ Ms Vulin said.

'I am accepting I’m always going to have scars, which is a necessity to move on': Almost three years on since her horrific attack, Ms Vulin spends most of her days in hospital still but is also working with charities 

Lawyers for Natalie Dimitrovska (left and right) will on Tuesday claim that Ms Vulin was not as badly injured as she stated in court. They are appealing for her sentence to be reduced

She has ‘no idea’ if her attacker’s appeal will be successful however, as ‘it’s such a unique case, it’s unprecedented,’ Ms Vulin explained.

Since the assault when she was 25-years-old, Ms Vulin spent two years and eight months wearing a compression mask to help put her face back together.

‘It made me feel like nothing of me was Dana, not the life I lived, the things I did and not the exterior.

‘I would have rather endured physical pain than wear that mask,’ Ms Vulin said.

‘It helped to shape the face and the pressure was so tight it helped flatten and massage the face and try to keep it from going inside out.’

The mask has now been removed but every morning when she wakes up she is stiff from her scars. ‘I am still in the early stages of recovery, I’m looking at least five years,’ she said.

Ms Vulin spent two years and eight months wearing a compression mask to help put her face back together

Ms Vulin spent two years and eight months wearing a compression mask to help put her face back together

'I would have rather endured physical pain than wear that mask': Ms Vulin said as she looked back on the past three years since the heinous crime 

'I would have rather endured physical pain than wear that mask': Ms Vulin said as she looked back on the past three years since the heinous crime 

‘Physically I am accepting I’m always going to have scars, which is a necessity to move on. Yes I don’t look like anyone else but I’m damn proud about how far I’ve come and I’m as unique inside as I am outside.’

The Perth woman puts much of her progress down to her personality.

‘I was always strong. That is peoples’ biggest misconception about me. My looks were a bonus, I was strong in my heart and head before this… you’ve got to love who you are as a person because looks fade,’ Ms Vulin explained.

However, she has countless more operations to come, with functionality prioritised over cosmetic procedures.

Dana Vulin leaves court after watching the woman who set her alight and left her to burn to death jailed by a Perth judge for 17 years

Dana Vulin leaves court after watching the woman who set her alight and left her to burn to death jailed by a Perth judge for 17 years

 Ms Vulin, seen here before the attack with her sister, was set alight by a jealous estranged wife of a man she had met once

 Ms Vulin, seen here before the attack with her sister, was set alight by a jealous estranged wife of a man she had met once

‘I’m a modern day Frankenstein… it’s absolutely amazing': Dana pictured here before the attack

‘I’m a modern day Frankenstein… it’s absolutely amazing': Dana pictured here before the attack

‘I’ve still got so much to work on. I can’t really bend my elbows or raise my arms.

'I’m stuck if I try to overstretch, I get a break down or wound because my skin is splitting,’ she explained.

She spent Christmas and New Year in hospital having her new chest, shoulders and décolletage area operated on.

‘It failed the first time so I had to get it redone and it’s starting to scar again. They’ve taken skin from my right leg five times and my left leg four times,’ she said.

‘I’m a modern day Frankenstein… it’s absolutely amazing and the human body is beyond incredible. I am so eternally grateful for the doctors and physios at Royal Perth,’ Ms Vulin added.

It would be very easy for Ms Vulin to be filled with hate about what happened to her but she insists ‘all I ever do is take positives’ from the situation.

 ‘I want my life back. I’m so grateful I’m alive, I can see, I can smell, I can touch. I still feel grateful.

'I want my life back. I’m so grateful I’m alive': Today Ms Vulin is looking at the positives to move forward

 ‘I guess every day is a reminder but I try not to think that she did this me. I want to give it no power. I just have heartache and one step forward is ten steps backwards with the burns.

‘I’m used to disappointment now but I’m also used to getting back up and kicking it in the face,’ Ms Vulin said. 

As Ms Vulin continues on her recovery she is now working with the Men In Black suicide prevention charity, is an ambassador for the Kiss Violence Against Women Goodbye campaign and is also representing Lifeline WA in the 2015 HBF fun run as their official charity ambassador.

‘I try to get behind most charities but I guess with violence against women and the run it is all about a lifeline for healthy mind and healthy body, that's something I've experienced first hand through my recovery,' she said.

To support Dana Vulin visit her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

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