The inspirational story of Michelle
Journey through the trauma of burns and a survivor's will to make life beautiful.
"When I was two years old I was burned on over 91% of my body in a house fire. The doctors said I had a grim chance of surviving, and if I did, I could lose my legs, arms, and eyesight, never walking or talking again. I proved them wrong! Since then I have been in the operating room over 80 times and have endured a lot of therapy and treatments to regain my health. As a young burn survivor I have learned how to navigate life with my scars on my sleeves; I take life by the reins!
Back in college I had some friends who would tell me, “Everyone has scars, yours are just on the outside.” I know this was meant to be comforting.. but it never was. Yes, there is some truth to that statement, but a burn injury is very different then most ‘scars.’ I could never quite pinpoint what bugged me so much about this statement, until now.
Why is it different? It is because we have scars that require healing physically, emotionally and mentally.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Now, imagine for one second losing your skin. With that you lose your identity. If a loved one was injured, you watch them lose everything they once were through extreme pain and suffering with not much you can do to help them.
There is no other injury or experience like a burn injury. Trying to compare it to something else only belittles our experiences and what happened.
Every transition a burn survivor has requires a new sense of healing. If one was injured at a young age — like myself — every transition required more surgeries and new unknown things. My injury never bothered me but every transition was very different and more challenging. What about going to college? How will this surgery affect me this semester? Starting a new team? What are my new friends going to think? What about applying for a job? Starting a relationship, do I have to tell them about my scars? Something as basic as going to a college party turns into someone being afraid or thinking my ‘skin is scary and fake.’ Starting a new job means more questions and ignorate comments like, ‘your skin makes you look like a bearded dragon, lizard or a snake’ or ‘was it traumatic?’
What is a normal day for everyone else, is not a normal day for us when everywhere we go the stares, comments and judgements continue. For example — we can’t even go to the grocery store without someone noticing and saying something… yet, “Everyone has scars, yours are just on the outside.” This is stating our scars are the same as everyone else’s. They aren’t. We have felt extreme emotional pain through people walking away from our lifes because it was to difficult and faced extreme emotional and physically pain through surgeries and continuing therapy.
While in college, I longed for a better understanding of things that ‘normal’ that people take for granted. I looked for support and understanding but always struggled to find it. What about relationships, do I have to tell someone what happened? What if I don’t want to? What are they going to think of me? Starting a new job I had a constant fear of being treated like I wasn’t capable of doing it well, due to my injury. And then I felt like I needed to prove everyone wrong, like I had to do throughout my life.
Throughout the conference this past week I got to connect with the only Young Adults I have ever met who truly understood all of the confusion that ran through my mind throughout all of the transitions in my life over the last few years. Although I don’t have the answers to everything. I do know that I have the support and am able to provide it for others and that there are people who truly understand how difficult it can be. It is always my choice on what I choose to tell people or not to. Knowing this and being able to spontaneously get on a bus and go to New York and then connect with an old friend and go to Boston I know I am truly blessed to have friendships all throughout the US and world!
I know I will never live a ‘normal’ life and honestly I don’t want to, because that would be boring. Knowing that there are people out there that understand and support me is the greatest blessing there is".
(Excerpt from Survivor not Victim) via Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
www.survivor-not-victim
Journey through the trauma of burns and a survivor's will to make life beautiful.
"When I was two years old I was burned on over 91% of my body in a house fire. The doctors said I had a grim chance of surviving, and if I did, I could lose my legs, arms, and eyesight, never walking or talking again. I proved them wrong! Since then I have been in the operating room over 80 times and have endured a lot of therapy and treatments to regain my health. As a young burn survivor I have learned how to navigate life with my scars on my sleeves; I take life by the reins!
Back in college I had some friends who would tell me, “Everyone has scars, yours are just on the outside.” I know this was meant to be comforting.. but it never was. Yes, there is some truth to that statement, but a burn injury is very different then most ‘scars.’ I could never quite pinpoint what bugged me so much about this statement, until now.
Why is it different? It is because we have scars that require healing physically, emotionally and mentally.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Now, imagine for one second losing your skin. With that you lose your identity. If a loved one was injured, you watch them lose everything they once were through extreme pain and suffering with not much you can do to help them.
There is no other injury or experience like a burn injury. Trying to compare it to something else only belittles our experiences and what happened.
Every transition a burn survivor has requires a new sense of healing. If one was injured at a young age — like myself — every transition required more surgeries and new unknown things. My injury never bothered me but every transition was very different and more challenging. What about going to college? How will this surgery affect me this semester? Starting a new team? What are my new friends going to think? What about applying for a job? Starting a relationship, do I have to tell them about my scars? Something as basic as going to a college party turns into someone being afraid or thinking my ‘skin is scary and fake.’ Starting a new job means more questions and ignorate comments like, ‘your skin makes you look like a bearded dragon, lizard or a snake’ or ‘was it traumatic?’
What is a normal day for everyone else, is not a normal day for us when everywhere we go the stares, comments and judgements continue. For example — we can’t even go to the grocery store without someone noticing and saying something… yet, “Everyone has scars, yours are just on the outside.” This is stating our scars are the same as everyone else’s. They aren’t. We have felt extreme emotional pain through people walking away from our lifes because it was to difficult and faced extreme emotional and physically pain through surgeries and continuing therapy.
While in college, I longed for a better understanding of things that ‘normal’ that people take for granted. I looked for support and understanding but always struggled to find it. What about relationships, do I have to tell someone what happened? What if I don’t want to? What are they going to think of me? Starting a new job I had a constant fear of being treated like I wasn’t capable of doing it well, due to my injury. And then I felt like I needed to prove everyone wrong, like I had to do throughout my life.
Throughout the conference this past week I got to connect with the only Young Adults I have ever met who truly understood all of the confusion that ran through my mind throughout all of the transitions in my life over the last few years. Although I don’t have the answers to everything. I do know that I have the support and am able to provide it for others and that there are people who truly understand how difficult it can be. It is always my choice on what I choose to tell people or not to. Knowing this and being able to spontaneously get on a bus and go to New York and then connect with an old friend and go to Boston I know I am truly blessed to have friendships all throughout the US and world!
I know I will never live a ‘normal’ life and honestly I don’t want to, because that would be boring. Knowing that there are people out there that understand and support me is the greatest blessing there is".
(Excerpt from Survivor not Victim) via Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
www.survivor-not-victim
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