A mum-of-two has suffered horrendous burns following a huge gas explosion at her home.
Sharna Rhodes, who lives near Aberystwyth, entered her kitchen on Saturday, June 12, after noticing a strong smell of gas.
But upon opening the door there was a huge explosion which completely destroyed her home and left her with life-changing burns to her hands, arms, feet and many other parts of her body.
Her teenage daughter Lauren, 17, who was in the house at the time, managed to climb through the rubble and was miraculously unhurt.
Sharna, 42, was airlifted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea and spent the past couple of weeks recovering on the high dependency unit.
Close friend Tom Speedy, speaking on behalf of the family, said: "Sharna is extremely positive all things considered. Having looked at the devastation of the house, the fact anybody came out of it alive is an absolute blessing.
"They have literally lost everything. They have the clothes they were wearing at the time of the incident and that's it."
Tom explained that the family's property in Clarach is on a hill, with the bedrooms downstairs and the kitchen on the first floor.
"She went into the kitchen and she could hear hissing - the smell of gas was overpowering," he said.
"Before she could even get to the cooker it exploded in her face. She managed to put her hands up to protect her face so she didn't have too much of a facial burn, but she lost all her hair."
Sharna, who is a student, is now out of high dependency and on a general ward where she is still being treated for her extensive injuries.
"She's probably going to be in hospital for another seven to 10 days, maybe longer," he added.
"She's had both good times and bad since this all happened, but she's a tough girl and with all the support around her she will recover.
"She's been talking to the girls and she posted on Facebook that she managed to get a Chinese delivered to the hospital which she was super happy about."
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Sharna's friends which has so far raised close to £3,000 to help the family rebuild their lives. To donate please go here.
"The way that everyone has come together has really helped them to deal with this incident," Tom added.
"Considering what they have been through the way that her daughters Lauren (17) and Jessica (16) have dealt with this has been amazing."
Jessica and Lauren are now staying with Sharna's best friend since childhood, Keira Hustings. An investigation has been launched by police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service to discover the cause of the explosion.
