Mum's harrowing warning after flu leaves her fighting for life six times

A Victorian mother who cheated death six times after contracting the flu has spoken about her harrowing ordeal.

Julie Pinkerton is still recovering after spending two months on life support following her August diagnosis and now hopes her story of survival will help save lives in the future.

The once healthy mother-of-seven remains in Geelong Hospital after developing a cold shortly after her 60th birthday celebrations.

Yet what was first thought to be just a sniffle turned out to be the potentially deadly influenza B.

She was rushed to hospital suffering from pneumonia, a staph infection in her lungs and blood poisoning.

"One hundred and ten days in ICU in a coma and I don't remember any of it," Ms Pinkerton told 7News.

Her family were preparing for the worst after doctors told them her chances of survival were near non-existent.

But Ms Pinkerton's body refused to give up.

"Up to six times we were asked to turn off her life support," daughter Natalie Andrews revealed.

Each time the family refused, and Ms Pinkerton slept on and on. After months of helping her fight for her life, doctors saved her hands but could not save her feet.

"The patients who got this complication around the country, I think Julie may be the only survivor," Dr Charlie Corke said.

Ms Pinkerton, who also has 16 grandchildren, says her family has been the driving force behind her miraculous survival, bringing her back from the brink of death.

"I would hate my worst enemy to go through this," she said.

Julie was one of more than 233,000 Australians struck down during last year's horrific flu season, which claimed more than 1100 lives.

This year the focus is on preventing further tragedies with free "super vaccines" for the elderly and vulnerable.

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Ms Pinkerton now faces a considerably different lifestyle following her fight for survival.

"I'm now minus a working, body minus two feet, no longer have a job," she said.

"My life's changed completely from being an independent physical person to this, which could have been avoided from one immunisation shot."

In a bid to support Ms Pinkerton's long road to recovery, her family have started a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise funds to support her rehabilitation.

For her partner Peter, not much has changed over the last few months, and he still plans to walk Ms Pinkerton down the aisle.

"Yeah, I love her more than I ever did," he said.