Mateo, 4, was at home playing with his two brothers when a game with matches turned tragic. The clothing storage room caught fire, and Mateo was caught in the flames. His 13-year-old brother used a wet blanket to rescue Mateo.
While being treated at a hospital in Mexico for second and third-degree burns, the family learned that Mateo could receive specialized treatment at Shriners Children’s Texas. Mateo stayed at the hospital in Galveston for three and a half months.
“I am very grateful,” said his father, Vicente, “because if it weren’t for Shriners Children’s, Mateo wouldn’t be with us.”
Jason’s story
Dr. Heard now proudly works where he was once treated for burns – Shriners Children’s.
Jason was a curious kid fascinated with fire. One day, when Jason was 12, he and his friends built a fire in his backyard. They wanted to make the fire bigger, so Jason grabbed the lawn mower gasoline and poured it on the fire.
“I remember a flame caught the tip of the gas can, ran up the spout, and then the whole can exploded,” he said. “In moments, my face, torso, hands and arms were on fire.”
“I remembered to stop, drop and roll, but the fire wouldn’t go out,” he continued. “I ran upstairs to our shower. A mailman was driving by, and he helped us until the ambulance came.”
Jason was rushed from his home in Urbandale, Iowa, to the University of Iowa Burn Treatment Center, with second and third-degree burns covering over 40% of his body. After many procedures, Jason was referred to Shriners Children’s Ohio for laser treatments to smooth out scars and plastic surgery to reconstruct his right ear.
“For years, I’d fly to Shriners Children’s Ohio for treatment,” he remembered. “They welcomed me with open arms, providing a room, food, video games, and continuous physical and emotional support. They cared for me like family, and I will forever be grateful.”
Burn survivor to burn surgeon
Jason was so inspired by the care he received that he committed to treating kids experiencing burns similar to his. After medical school, he applied for a fellowship at the Neil Reitman Pediatric Burn Institute at Shriners Children’s Northern California and secured a position as a burn surgeon.
“This is a dream come true,” Jason Heard, M.D., now a doctor, said. “Over the years, I watched Shriners Children’s Northern California staff become presidents of the American Burn Association and publish leading research. Now, I’m on the same team I idolized.”
A life-changing moment
Camden returns to Shriners Children’s for a follow-up visit.
For Camden, an ordinary day in the backyard suddenly changed his life. While his family was working outside, the curious 18-month-old reached out and touched the hot engine of a leaf blower. Doctors at the local emergency room arranged for Cam to be taken to Shriners Children’s Boston to receive specialized burn care.
There, Cam’s wound was debrided, which involves removing the damaged tissue to help promote healing. He was fitted for a hand cast and started physical therapy the next day. Cam was in the hospital for three days and was then seen as an outpatient several times a week for about two months. Now 6, Cam returns to the hospital for follow-up visits every four to six months.
“You never think this could be your child, that your baby could be hurt like this,” said Cam’s mom, Erin. “However, there is a light to be seen through this grim event.”
Hidden household dangers
Kennedy works on regaining strength in physical therapy.
Many common household products are highly flammable. Kennedy, 14, learned that includes beauty items after she sustained severe burns from a small explosion. “I was using nail polish remover and lit a candle nearby when all of a sudden, the fumes caught, and it exploded,” she said.
Kennedy had second and third-degree burns on about 13% of her body, including her hands, arms, thighs and stomach. She smothered the flames before an ambulance came and rushed her to Shriners Children’s Ohio.
Kennedy hopes her story will teach families how quickly an activity can turn dangerous. “I want people to be more aware,” Kennedy explained. “I never thought something I did all the time could end up with me being burned.”
Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You!
October is Fire Prevention Month, and Shriners Children’s is promoting the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) campaign on burn awareness, “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!”
Roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no working smoke alarms – meaning your chance of surviving a house fire doubles in a home with working smoke alarms, according to the NFPA.
+ Install smoke alarms inside and outside of every sleeping room.
+ Install alarms on each level of the home, including the basement.
+ Use interconnected smoke alarms so that when one sounds, they all sound.
+ Test all smoke alarms monthly and replace them after 10 years.
+ Consider bedside alert devices, such as strobe lights and pillow or bed shakers, for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
+ Hear a beep? It’s time to act!
+ A continued set of three loud beeps means smoke or fire. Get out, call 9-1-1 and stay out. A single “chirp” every 30 or 60 seconds, however, means the battery must be changed.
+ The alarm unit must be replaced if the chirping continues after the battery is replaced.
Show Caution: It’s Wildfire Season
We are all aware of the devastating wildfires that have ravaged communities, destroyed homes and businesses and put families at risk. In 2023 alone, over 56,000 wildfires burned across North America, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
David Greenhalgh, M.D., former chief of burns at Shriners Children’s Northern California, has treated children burned in wildfires. These children tend to have extensive burns because the fires are so massive and burn their clothes. Leg burns are also common because people try to run through flames.
Wildfires move extremely quickly, so the best action is to get out as soon as possible.
Nationally, almost nine out of 10 wildfires are caused by humans. What can you and your family do to prevent fires from even starting?
+ Avoid activities that involve fire or sparks when it’s hot, dry or windy.
+ Build your campfire in an open location far from flammables.
+ Douse your campfire until it’s cold.
+ Keep vehicles off dry grass.
+ Check conditions and regulations before you use fireworks, or consider alternatives, such as glow sticks and light displays.
Dr. Colleen Ryan Honored with Prestigious Award at ABA Conference
Shriners Children’s Boston doctor and researcher Colleen Ryan, M.D., recently received a special recognition. She was presented with the 2024 Harvey Stuart Allen Distinguished Service Award at the American Burn Association’s (ABA) annual conference in Chicago this spring. The award goes to an outstanding North American scientist for their meaningful contributions to burn care.
Recognized for her pioneering research on long-term outcomes in pediatric burn care, Dr. Ryan continues to transform recovery pathways for children and their families at Shriners Children’s Boston.
Dr. Ryan’s research focuses on improving the pathway to recovery for children and their families. Since 2016, Dr. Ryan has been the principal investigator on multiple studies focused on long-term outcomes, hoping that the rehabilitation and recovery process for burn survivors can be made easier for patients and their families. “The thought is if we can measure it, we can improve it,” Dr. Ryan said.
From infancy to adulthood
One of Dr. Ryan’s studies is the Preschool Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation Profile, which focuses on how children deal with burns and how they impact their development. A second is called Measuring Health Outcomes for Teenagers with Burns. It looks at the challenges with the current measures used to collect information. By tracking and monitoring recovery, clinicians can determine how, when and which therapies would be most effective.
“A burn injury evolves from an acute illness to a chronic condition, and it’s important to recognize that these children face persistent challenges in quality of life, from infancy through adulthood,” said Dr. Ryan. She has followed many children as they have grown into adulthood.
Dr. Ryan is passionate about treating children with burn injuries and recognizes the importance of the family in a child’s recovery. She has treated children with burn injuries at Shriners Children’s Boston since 1989. For over 25 years, Shriners Children’s Boston researchers have sought to define and measure what happens to patients after their burns are initially treated.
