Arna was burned lighting a candle for her late twin sister. Photo / Supplied
Arna Hopkins still has a long road ahead to recovery, but her family are celebrating the fact the 3-year-old is finally able to breathe on her own.
They have released the first photo of the toddler, four weeks after she suffered severe burns to her body and face while lighting
a candle in memory of her dead twin sister.
Wrapped in bandages, she is seen sitting upright in father Regan's arms, which her uncle Kane Hopkins told the Herald was a milestone.
"That is really a big deal," he said last night. "She sat on his knee and had an iceblock and fed herself for the first time. The fact that she is even up out of her bed is remarkable."
Arna is still in intensive care at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland but has been moved out of her isolation room, which means more room for her family to gather.
