Survivor Profile - Carol Lewis
LEARNING INNER ACCEPTANCE
I guess in some ways I was fortunate that my accident happened at such a young age that I really don’t know life without “scars”. You see I was 13 months old when my accident happened and I am now 47 years old. Having said that, I also believe that having to endure my entire childhood as a burn survivor was not an easy task. But I believe that regardless of what time in your life you pass over from “pre” scars to “post” scars we are all faced with the same journey just at difference times in our lives. It is still a journey filled with learning to gain inner acceptance, letting go of anger, building self image, and gathering the tools we require to move on.
I found that the road was paved with many emotional stumbling blocks as well as countless physical challenges but in the end I believe these challenges have made me stronger and moulded me into who I am today. Due to my young age my story is bits and pieces of what my family members have told me over the years. I was born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised there until I was three years old. My grandparents also lived there so my parents had arranged to have them babysit my older sister and I. I was just learning how to walk and of course a little unsteady on my feet. My grandmother placed a cup of coffee on the table and left the room for only a moment. I guess being a curious toddler I decided to pick this very hot cup up only to realize it was much too heavy and hot.
Upon rushing me to the nearest hospital I went into shock and had to receive an emergency tracheotomy. Although it was only one cup of coffee, being that I was just a baby and with baby soft skin I ended up with burns on my right arm, burns down my front chest area and spot burns on my left arm. At the time I did not require any grafting, however, this issue was to be addressed later as the scar tissue under my right arm would be come more webbed as I got older. My parents said I was placed in a “plastic tent” for three months so as to not get any infections. They would visit me every day and go through the process of changing in and out of hospital gowns, masks and all sterile attire only to be able to stand over me as holding me would risk contamination as well as other problems with the burn healing process. Being that this was back in 1963 burn management techniques were probably quite different than they are today. When I was finally able to go home my mom tells me that I did not smile for an entire year. As a parent myself, now, I can imagine how horrible of a time this must have been for my parents.
When I was 22 I met my husband. He tells me that he never noticed my burns but that just tells you what kind of a person he is. By the time I had our second daughter I was finding it more difficult to live with the limitations that the scar tissue was putting on my right arm. I had been to a plastic surgeon in my teen years but was not willing to have skin grafts to fix the problem. Upon returning to the plastic surgeon this time, I was told they could take some of the strain off the area with out doing skin grafts. I was disappointed that aesthetically nothing could be done but to gain some mobility was huge. I had the procedure done and then done again 5 years ago.
As a Burn Survivor you tend to at some point be able to put things into perspective and really understand what is important in your life. I really believe that is what the journey is all about. When your reach this point the road is so much easier. Gather the people and things around you that will give you the support that you need to move along and get rid of all the negative stuff that holds you back from you being able to be “you”.
Don’t let the scars define who you are….they are only a physical piece of you - nothing more.
By: Carol Lewis
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