The Day of my Burns

!!!TRIGGER WARNING!!!

*DEATH, FIRE, BURNS TRAUMA!!!

August 17th 2009

Approximately 3:45pm

Setting the scene

The weekend before my family and I went camping with our church. So we had mini propane tanks and trash in the bed of the truck.

My dad and I got in the truck to head to my high school. (We had fish camp or in other words freshman orientation since it was a week before the start of school) I was on the dance team and had to preform later that afternoon at the pep rally. It would have been my freshman year. Keep in mind we live in a tiny town. The area our house is, is more country that town. Groups of homes with 2+ acres each some house half a mile or more from each other. Its the middle of summer in Texas meaning 100+ weather. Add in a burn ban which means very dry very hot conditions. Being in a rural area where trash companies do not serve means burning of trash is the main way to get rid of trash that households accumulate.

A mile or so down the road (from our house remember we are on the wy to my High School) my dad flicked his cigarette out the window. I noticed smoke coming from the bed of the truck. We pull over and asses. We decided to get back in the truck and go home to put the fire out. Unfortunately three doors down from our house the first of a few explosions happened. Causing us to veer off the road hit a mail box go through some barbed wire fencing and came to a gentle stop at a small tree. I came back to consciousness on the ground by the truck. I got up and led by our neighbors voices crossed the street and entered the house diagonally from ours. I sat in their kitchen as we waited for care flight. I noticed I was naked. I asked to be covered up. I then ask for prayer.. our next door neighbor came to me asked where my mom and sister were and I told her. Then my questions began.

Am I naked? Yes

Do I have hair? It's there..

Is it bad? Yes

Is my dad hurting? Yes

Where are the ambulances? On their way one is working on your dad because he seems worse.

Finally my ambulance came.

I stood up against the stretcher they wrapped a burn blanket around me strapped me then carried me to the ambulance.

They began looking for a vein I tell them... My feet aren’t burned then it's black...

I went into cardiac arrest.

I suffered burns to 78% of my body.

After my dad passed away at 11pm almost midnight they told my mom don't an one funeral plan two.

25 or 26 surgeries in ICU and I got to go home earlier than ever imagined.

Aug 17 2009 till January 13 2010 I stayed at parkland hospital

I've now had about 40 surgeries and have more to go.