Burn Injury Resource Center
On this day before Thanksgiving, as everyone wraps up their work and other responsibilities and focuses on enjoying the long weekend with loved ones, it’s the right time for victims of severe burns to step back and consider the good in their lives. And there surely are several positive things, and positive possibilities, in each person’s life, no matter how difficult the circumstances of one’s burn injury might be.
This point is driven home by someone like J.R. Martinez, the U.S. military veteran who has overcome second degree burns and third degree burns across 30 percent of his body to be a motivational speaker (partly through the burn-survivor support group Phoenix Society), a TV actor, and now a winner on the TV show “Dancing With The Stars.”
When J.R. was first injured in Iraq in 2003, he was not only in significant physical pain but was also very distraught over how he looked because of the burns across his face and head. But he kept saying to himself that things will get better as time goes on, and this positive attitude (plus 22 surgeries) have helped him to feel so confident that he is fearless in front of TV cameras and large in-person audiences alike.
J.R. Martinez is living his life to the fullest, even though he still does not look or feel exactly like he did before he was injured. He has become comfortable with his “new normal,” and he looks at his life through that lens. But–and this is the important part–he does not let the fact that he is different than he was before hold him back from anything, or even slow him down one bit.
One thing J.R. makes sure to do each day is to count his blessings, looking at all the good things and good people in his life, so that he keeps his mind in a positive, healthy place. This is something all burn victims can do, as they heal both physically and psychologically from their severe burn injuries.
Always think of things this way: If J.R. Martinez can suffer disfiguring burns across his face and still be a TV star, you can do almost anything you want with your life, and you can lean on your family and friends–and the people at the Phoenix Society–along the way.
If you or someone you know does suffer a severe burn injury or a smoke inhalation injury, you should call Kramer & Pollack LLP in Mineola, New York so that the personal injury attorneys in that firm can determine whether another party has legal liability for injuries suffered, and if the injured party has a solid legal case.