Burn ordeal blesses Teen

Emily Schoettler at UMC while being treated for her burns.

By Emily Schoettler,

The day after Labor Day in 1996, an unexpected tragedy changed my family’s and my life forever. However, what some may consider a horrific accident, I consider a blessing.

When I was 3 years old, I experienced a nasty case of croup. The affliction caused my diaphragm to close up and I was unable to breathe. As a normal routine, my mom started filling up the shower to steam the bathroom. When I had prior croup attacks, I would sit in the steamy bathroom. This would help my lungs open up so I could breathe.

Unfortunately, the shower method took too long. Thinking quick, my mom filled a cooking pot with water and boiled it. Racing to my bed where I was laying down, she set the boiling water next to me so I could inhale the steam.

While laying down, I managed to elbow the pot and the water poured onto my right shoulder, upper arm and chest.

In shock, I repeated with no cries or screams, “Mommy, it’s hot, I just want to go to bed.”

My mom, more horrified than me, reacted fast and stripped me of my nightgown. Along with my pajamas, my skin was pulled because of the third degree burns I had experienced. My stepfather raced into my room after heard my mom panicking.

Frantically, my mom scooped me up and drove 90 mph to Kaiser Permanente from my house in Madera. From Kaiser an ambulance rushed me to the UMC Burn Unit in Downtown Fresno. During my time in the Burn Unit, I was treated by the best doctors and nurses in the state.

Unfortunately, I did not want to eat anything. This hindered new skin growth because of the lack of nutrients. As a substitute, a feeding tube was fed down my throat.

As a result of my burns, I needed surgery for a skin graft. They sliced thin pieces of skin off my back and stitched the grafts to my blistered flesh.

Three weeks later, I was released and sent back home. For a year I was forced to wear tight, form-fitting pressure garments so my skin grafts would not expand and bubble.

As a teenager, image seems to be everything. Perfect body size and looks become a priority for many girls my age.

I struggled with being insecure about a large scar on my shoulder and chest for a long time. Tank tops and bathing suits can be very uncomfortable for me even today. The stares from others can be awkward, yet the worries lessen as I mature.

When I tell people who ask me about my scar, everyone asks me a question that makes me laugh: “Did it hurt?” I often jokingly reply that it merely tickled.

Finally, I realized how truly blessed I am. This past summer I had the opportunity of going to a camp for burn survivors for kids from ages 5-16, called Champ Camp. One thing I can say after that trip is God is so good to me.

Spending a week around kids my age who had shared my same struggles made me strong. It was such an inspiration to see little kids who had far worse scars than me appear to have no worries in life.

I also got to speak to some girls in my cabin about how I live with a burn. I encouraged them to ignore what other people think, explaining how blessed they should feel for being alive.

I plan on returning to the camp next year and have been recommended as a counselor-in-training when I turn 18. The trip forever changed my life and I hope I can continue helping other burn victims.

So while others tell me how sorry they are for me and how awful the experience surely was, I explain how I am not truly affected. God makes everything happen for a reason. Although my mom will never forgive herself and takes the blame, I always tell her my burn turned out a blessing and made me who I am today.

This article originally appeared in the Fresno Christian High School’s Internet newspaper, The Feather Online on Nov. 13, 2008. To view the original article, click HERE.

Giving Back Through Art

Frozen Pond by Purple Hat

When you visit the Central California office of the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation you can’t help but notice the nature themed art work that surrounds the environment. Burn survivor Rex, AKA “Purple Hat,” has not only filled the walls of the Fresno office with his art pieces, but he is also having an art show where 10% of the proceeds will be donated to AARBF.

For years, Purple Hat has been trying to lighten the pain and emotional distress that burn survivors and their loved ones experience during this trying time by creating and displaying his art within the community.

Purple Hat originally had posted much of his art work in the old Fresno Burn Unit. “Unfortunately, all of that art had to be relocated when University Medical Center moved to its new location” but Purple Hat found a new home for his art pieces at the office of the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation in Fresno.

Recently, however, Purple Hat’s art will be displayed at the new burn center, the Community Regional Medical Center’s Leon S. Peters Burn Unit. “I am so excited about the opportunity to give burn survivors something to look at during their long stays.”

Purple Hat is currently presenting his art show at the Fresno Spectrum Art Gallery, 608 E. Olive in the Tower District, now through March 29, 2009. He will also be conducting a book reading on Saturday, March 28, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the same location.

For more information about this art show, contact the Spectrum Art Gallery at 266-0691
To learn more about Purple Hat, visit his website HERE

When You Change Your Clock, Change Your Batteries!

Smoke Alarm Batteries Should Be Changed at Least Once a Year

It’s that time of year again; time to move our clocks forward and lose that precious hour of sleep. It’s also time for you to change your smoke alarm batteries!

Your smoke alarm batteries should be changed at least once a year. It’s easy to remember to change your smoke alarm batteries when you make it a habit to change them the same time you change all of your clocks.

Do you think you will still have trouble changing your batteries once a year? You may benefit from purchasing the 10-year lithium batteries. It is however; still important to make sure your smoke alarm is in working condition by testing it monthly.

According to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), an estimated 65% of home fire deaths were in homes where there were no working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms save lives.

Keep your family safe by testing your smoke alarm monthly and annually replacing the batteries. It is also important to create a home escape plan in case of a fire. Below are helpful links from the NFPA to keep you and your family safe!

Home Escape Plan
What You Should Know About Smoke Alarms