My story
On August 21, 2014, I was badly burned at home working on a piece of equipment outside my shop. I was airlifted to a burn center where I learned that I was burned on 21% of my body, mostly both my legs from my knees down to my toes and the top of my left hand and fingers. I went through multiple skin graft surgeries to repair the skin badly damaged by the burns. Anyone who has survived a burn will tell you it is one of the most painful experiences they ever went through, between the twice a day wound cleaning to the long and arduous physical therapy that can last months, even years for some. Not much can compare to suffering a severe burn. Like many other traumatic injuries, rehabilitation goes far beyond the physicality; it reaches into the emotional, and spiritual. The emotional wounds seem to take the longest to heal, even though most burn survivors live with some amount of persistent physical pain. The emotional scars range from the trauma of the event itself, to body image issues and the effects of physical limitations. They impact our self worth and take their toll. I feel fortunate to have realized fairly early on that my burns were not going to define me; that I was somehow going to grow from this to be better, to somehow turn my lemons into lemonade. I still had days of doubt and fear, but I pushed through, gritted my teeth and through many tears, persevered. I also had an incredible support system: my wife, family and friends rallied around me, loved and supported me. But as is often the case when alone, when I was by myself I had my dark moments, feeling like damaged goods, ugly, scary, unworthy, and just plain scared as hell of what was next. At first they were the physical ones: 3 more minutes on the elliptical, then 5, then 10. Then there was going back out to the shop and seeing where the accident happened, and the damage to the equipment. Then repairing the equipment, lighting fires again in our wood burning stove, and even the first time post accident filling up a vehicle with fuel. These may seem insignificant to some, but every burn survivor can relate to how tough these may be to do. Pushing through the fear and getting back in the game is sometimes the most difficult thing to do, and it’s not just burn survivors who struggle with it, everyone does from time to time. Burn survivors are a little more unique, due to the trauma, and the emotional and physical scars that can present challenges to regular daily routines. I realized that I was handed an opportunity to channel my own passions into something potentially helpful to others in a similar situation. It got me thinking about how I am passionate about finding positivity, even in situations that might first appear dire and that I am passionate about helping people. I am passionate about fighting through fear, and I am passionate about being passionate. I decided then that I wanted to partner with other burn survivors to engage their resiliency and strengthen their resolve by providing a safe place and encouragement to explore new possibilities. Burn survivors need support to deal with some of the effects of being burned and defining what they want this new chapter of their life to be. From my personal experience, I help to facilitate perspectives that allow them to see new possibilities.
