The new room was kind of an eye opener, because I could see everyone coming in and out of the hospital. I was pleased to see other people leaving the hospital, seeing others leave kind of gave me strength to get well. A challenge that I faced was learning how to walk again. My legs were swollen. I struggled to get out of bed to walk around the hospital. There was a play room and every morning I would have to practice walking. I had school in the play room where I met a few children that were burned. My sisters and brothers were coming to see me, I had the opportunity to walk and greet them in the play room. They couldn’t come into my hospital room because they were too young. I was so sad, because they didn’t want to touch me. I didn’t understand why they were scared of me, I was their family. But I didn’t blame them, they were too young to understand. But we did make a jewelry box together which was fun. I got to paint it pink and blue. My family had to come into the room with scrubs and gloves on, so that I would not get an infection. My family would come and see me all the time, they brought me flowers, food or just show me how much they love me. They were so supportive, no matter what they were at the hospital. My grandfather told previous to the accident, my mother went to a man who told her that something bad was going to happen to me. We prayed after the accident that I would heal. Even my friends called me just to check up on me. My mother was in the hospital with me nonstop but she needed a break to go home to my brothers and sisters. I would have bad dreams about the accident and wake up crying. I was so scared one night that I asked one of the nurses if he could stay with me in the room until I fall back to sleep. His name was Dr. Love. He taught me how to be strong. He would always say never give up no matter what you do. I appreciated everything he did for me. That night the doctors called my mother and told her that I needed a blood transfusion. She did not know that I was having surgery right away.
My name is Dashanda and I am a burn survivor (Part Two)
My mother was in the ambulance with me. The ride was so bumpy and confusing. I started feeling pain on my back I did not know what it was. I told the paramedic what I was felling. She lifted me up a little so that she could see what was wrong. While doing so my mother started crying. To this day I don’t know what she saw but I have an idea. They took me to Cornell Hospital where I was admitted to the burn unit. When I arrived at Cornell they took me into an emergency room where the doctors would remove the covers. I hated that because every time they remove the covers I would look down to see my body. I had what looked like water blisters on my body. The doctor told my mother that I was burned over 36% of my body. They were getting me ready to remove the dead skin. For some reason I was so sleepy and all I wanted to do was sleep. When I woke up all I wanted was food, and luckily my mother brought food for me. Seeing myself in bandages made me feel sad. I really didn’t know what happened to me. I could not recall the accident at that point in time. All I knew was that I was feeling pain everywhere. It felt like pins were sticking in me. They put me into a room for seriously injured patients. I was in the ICU (intensive care unit). I was washed daily to remove dead skin in a room that was called The Tank. I hated the Tank, you would have to get two baths a day. The one in the morning would be in the Tank and the one at night would be in your bed. They would remove the bandages and scrub at my burns. I would scream to my mom and tell her that I don’t want them to touch me. Begging her to tell them to stop, “mommy please don’t let them touch me”. It got so bad to I was asked the doctors if I could wash myself. The water came out full blast, I would be freezing cold when they were done. Heading back to my room, I would be shivering asking for more blankets.The doctors moved me out of that room a few days later.
My name is Dashanda and I am a burn survivor (Part One)
My mother moved our family to New York in search of a better life. It was stressful living in New York, We had to go to a shelter to find a place to stay. Seeing my mother struggle was really hard for me and my brothers and sisters. My mother has six kids, with me and my twin brother being the oldest. We never really understood why my mother left Georgia, and we never asked. Our very first apartment in Brooklyn was not what we were use to. It was only a one bedroom apartment. I had to share a room with my brothers and sisters. We had been in the apartment for about a month when this accident happened. August 14, 2004 will always stay in my mind as a reminder. My mother wanted to cook Sunday dinner for the family. She was boiling chicken on the stove. We were straightening up the house so that we could play afterwards. My little brother and I were told to clean the kitchen. While cleaning I opened the oven door and all I remember is the stove tilting forward and the pot with the boiling water sliding towards me. I fell on the floor along with the pot that fell on me. The water was very hot! As soon as it hit my skin I was screaming. I ran out of the kitchen and into the living room. All I could do was cry and scream. My mother called 911. They told her to put me in the tub and run cold water. Sitting there I was wondering why this just happened to me. Crying and shivering at the same time I heard the fire trucks and the police in front of my building. When they arrived upstairs they took me out of the cold water and then put me into a chair. My skin was wrinkled in certain places where I knew that I was burned. I remember telling the firefighters that I didn’t want to die, I was crying for help.
Stop, Drop and Roll
Injuries from fire can be devastating injuries. This method is used to reduce the injuries caused by fire by extinguishing fire on a person’s clothes. You should react quickly when your clothes catches fire, there is no time to delay. You should do the following steps:
Stop: avoid running and stand still.
Drop: drop to the ground in a prone position (laying flat), cover your face with your hands to avoid injury to your face.
Setting Goals
After a burn injury many survivors think that it’s the end of the world and that all hope is lost. They think that they will never be able to live a normal life again. Setting goals is important as it will help the survivor to return back to the society and living a normal life again. A survivor should start by setting goals that are achievable and are not too hard and not too easy to achieve. Start with the easy goals and take small steps, one at a time. These steps will build up and you will be amazed later at what you have achieved. Have a plan to achieve the goals and don’t let setbacks prevent you from progressing. Reward yourself after accomplishing a goal no matter how small the goal was. Continuously assess the progress you are making toward achieving each goal and see what steps are needed to reach your next plateau. After achieving each goal you will feel empowered and this will create positive feedback and enhance self esteem. With time you will see and feel the power of accomplishment and how this will speed up your recovery.
Skin Donation
The skin is the largest organ in the body. The skin has many important functions (see the skin). Skin can be donated for, and used by Patients with severe burns and patients with other injuries. The donated skin is transplanted to these patients which helps to decrease the pain, acts as a barrier to prevent infection, prevents body fluid loss and helps in body temperature regulation. The donated skin can be use as a temporary treatment for patients with severe burns and as the patient’s own skin heals, it can be grafted on the burned area as a permanent covering.
The person will make the decision to donate his or her skin in the same manner as other organ donations. This decision will not effect the medical care given to that person before his/her death. Every attempt will be made to save the person’s life and the skin will only be taken after the death of the person.
Donating skin will not cause body disfigurement; the skin harvest is composed of a very thin layer of skin taken from the abdomen, back and legs. The person who donates the skin (the donor) should not have any transmissible disease such as hepatitis.
Burns due to Hot Tar
Tar is used in paving and in the commercial roofing industry. Tar is heated and used while it’s hot. Hot tar can cause serious burn injuries. For example hot tar may come in contact with the skin through splashing or spilling. When it comes in contact with the skin, hot tar solidifies and sticks to the skin leading to serious injury. Workers carrying hot tar containers on a ladder are susceptible to falling the ladder in unsafe conditions leading to burns and other serious injuries. Freshly applied hot tar is slippery and as it cools down, it becomes sticky. This can cause a tripping or slipping hazards. There is also the risk of fire. Hot lugger and kettle are used to prepare hot tar. Vapors created from use of this equipment are flammable. Great care should be taken to avoid contact with an ignition source.
If there is a burn injury from a hot tar, cool the burned area with water, cover it with a dry clean sheet and seek medical attention (see chemical burns). Avoid removing the tar with a chemical substance. Personnel should be trained on how to apply first aid measures to injured workers. If a worker slips and falls or there is a suspicion of other injuries beside burn injury avoid moving the person (assuming they are not lying on the newly paved hot tar) as extra movement may lead to additional injury. In case of eye injury, flush the eye with cool water and seek medical attention.
This information is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice; it should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Call 911 for all medical emergencies.
Survivor Story
From the book “I will not be broken” by Jerry White.
Survivor X was disabled during the civil war that took place in 1978 in Eritrea. In the beginning he was saying “Now my legs are injured, what is going to happen to me?” But this didn’t keep him down. He quickly got rid of these thoughts because he realized what happened to him, has happened already and he can’t change the past. He stopped thinking about what happened to him and instead started thinking about what he can do. He started thinking about going back to work and taking control of his life, because if he doesn’t do that, nobody is going to do it for him. All the bad thoughts that were in his mind were gradually diminishing until they were completely gone.
He now takes care of his elderly mother, and helps cultivate the land for elderly and challenged people in his area. In return for working their land, he shares the produce with them and also get to keep a share for himself. Survivor X doesn’t see himself as a challenged person because he was able to work and give back.
Everything is Possible
There is a purpose in life for every person and no matter what happens in life, every person has to dust him/herself off and stand on his/her feet. It may not be easy in the beginning with all the physical and emotional trauma associated with burn injuries but no matter what you are going through, it won’t last forever and you can choose a fresh start whenever you decide to. So it’s your decision to change your life and start living your life again. Don’t stick to the past, live for today. The good old days will not return again but the days ahead of you may be better than these old days.
The important thing after a burn injury is that you are still alive and you can rebuild your life. Set a goal and don’t let the pain from the injury set you back from accomplishing your goals and dreams. Don’t let negative thoughts seep into your mind because they will have a negative effect on you and will pull you backwards. When you are in pain, reach out to friends and family as they may be able to help. Make the best of each day in your life and leave the past to the past. Fight back with a positive attitude and a strong will.
From “Survivor Corps”
Survivor X was living with his wife and two daughters and supporting them by working as an administrator when civil war erupted in Ethiopia. Everyone was asked by the government to fight even those without military training. Survivor X went to fight and while he was on patrol, he was beaten badly and shot thirteen times by revolutionaries. As a result he lost his arm all the way to the shoulder and nearly bled to death. The survivor recalls that the nurses didn’t dress his wound as they thought that he wouldn’t survive, they just were watching him die, but he survived. When he returned home, his wife told him that because he was an amputee, she couldn’t live with him anymore and left him taking their youngest daughter with her. He was soon living on the streets because his savings were confiscated when a new government took over in Ethiopia.
Despite what he has gone through from hunger, disrespect, constant abuse and fatigue, he didn’t give up. He was told about survivor corps by another war survivor he met. The survivor joined a support group for survivors and got connected with one of the partners of Survivor Corp to receive financing and training to operate a small business selling dry goods from a kiosk. The survivor with this business was able to rebuild his life; he says “I became strong emotionally and psychologically. My income also increased. I started to live independently. I respect myself, and now, others respect me as well.” The survivor now peaks with people without disabilities telling them not to judge people with disabilities without knowing them, they are just like people without disabilities.