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Burn-Blog

Last month, I experienced the worst pain of my life. More painful than surviving cancer, birthing two children, breaking my leg skiing, or having my face severely smashed during  H.S. car accident. I was BURNED.

 I discovered burn stories are like a birth certificate, everyone has one. If the stories I have collected, since my “burn incident” can help one person avoid a burn, I believe this whole ordeal would have been worth it!

My story: I was cooking a pasta dish and the olive oil started smoking in the pan and set off the fire alarm. In a panic to not wake up the children, I grabbed the pan and headed outside to get the smoke out of the house. I forgot to grab my oven mitt and dish was so hot, I dropped it! The bubbling olive oil spilled over my left hand, left leg, and left foot. I was left with second degree burns and painful healing process. I finally see the light at the end of a long tunnel...

Please urge your friends and family, to help save their lives and tons of pain:

·         ALWAYS use oven mitts when cooking or handling hot objects.

·         ALWAYS cook on the back stove burners with small children in the house.

·         ALWAYS make announcement when opening oven door, if others in the house.

·         NEVER lift anything hot beyond your weight ability.

·         NEVER put your face over anything that is hot.

 

Here are some of the stories that I have collected since my burn day:

o   My neighbor’s grandma was making soup on the stove-top, while cooking items in the attached oven. She then went to play with grand-daughter in the room next to kitchen. Another family member opened the oven door at the moment the grand-daughter and grandma entered the kitchen. The grand-daughter stepped on the oven door and the scalding hot soup sprung into the air. The grandma DIED and the granddaughter was left with 3^rd degree burns and permanent scaring for life emotionally and physically.

 

o   My husband’s friend went for a jog and then came back home to cook dinner. Her RUNNING SUIT caught on fire and she was left with second degree burns.

 

o   My occupational therapist worked on a guy who fell asleep DRUNK outside his Chicago apartment building and suffered severe frost bite. His fingers and tip of nose turned black and never healed properly.

 

 

o   My doctor worked on an older guy who tried to kill himself because his kids were fighting over his money and he wasn’t even dead. He then wrapped a stripped cord of iron around his wrist and plugged into the wall. His electrocution attempt failed and he was left with fingers burned beyond repair. When the doctor went to gauze his hand, his middle FINGER FELL OF

 

o   A parent, in my 7 years old daughter’s class, told me about his Mom cooking lobsters one night. The Mom went to check on the crustaceans and put her face over the steaming water as she removed the lid. In shock, she fell backwards with steam in face, but kept her hands clinging to the pot. The BURNING LOBSTERS and hot water fell on top of her. She suffered 3^rd degree burns across her chest and has scars 20 years later. She also had second degree steam face burns.

 

o   A parent, in my 6 years old daughter’s class, has a COFFEE ROASTING business. She is burned weekly on her arms from the roaster for the love of coffee.

 

o   My mother fell into a burning HOT FIREPLACE, hands first, as a young girl and suffered second degree burns. She never had permanent scars and mainly remembered the horror on her mother’s face when she saw the wound.

 

o   My client had a BBQ at his house one night and built a FIRE PIT. After few too many beers, his friends were jokingly pretending to toss him in the pit. He lost his balance and fell into the burning wood. He suffered second degree burns on hands, leg, and foot.

 

o   My barista told me a story about her mom cooking RICE CASSOROLE on the top shelf in oven. She went to grab the burning hot dish and lost balance and the hot rice feel on her neck and upper chest area. She suffered second and third degree burns.

 

o   A stranger in the elevator told me about his Mom cooking BAKED BEANS one night when he was seven. She went to stir the beans and the pan slipped and fell into her lap. The stickiness of the bean caused her clothing stuck to her burned skin. She had third degree wounds and a lifetime of scars.

 

o   My nurse told me the story of his father changing a radiator cap one day with his face over the engine. The steam went down his throat and he suffered BURNED ESOPOHGUS

 

o   My neighbor crawled up to the STOVETOP when he was TWO YEARS OLD. He placed his hands directly on the coils and suffered third degree burns. He still has the scars on his palm physically, but only remembers through the story told by his parents. His grandma tried to alleviate the pain by applying butter to the burns, which made things worse.

 

o   My co-worker told me the story of working at a restaurant in college and having the HOT vat of GREASE accidentally tossed on her stomach. He suffered massive 2^nd degress burns and healed with no scarring. She swears by vitamin E for healing burns.

 

o   My mailman told me the story of his cousin who reached pulled COFFEE MAKER off the counter at 3 years old by the cord. The scalding hot coffee fell all over her face and she suffered permanent damage.

 

o   My Dad’s friend was setting off FIREWORKS and one shot into his ear by accident. His left ear was burned off and he lost his hearing.

 

o   The 2^nd degree sunburn stories are too numerous to count for children and adults. ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN.

 

o   The 2^nd degree scalding hot bath water burn stories are too numerous to count for children and adults. ALWAYS PRE-CHECK BATH WATER TEMP.