Ana María

Ana María

Little Superheroe

"I am 8 years old and I am starting 3rd grade at school  on 2018/19".

This year I went back to my school, where all my friends and my sister go. I am very happy to be back, I can practice my favorite sports again: gym and swimming. 

I still have to use the pressure garment and the equipment, and even if some kids stare at me at school, or on the streets, basically everywhere, I can do all the normal things again. I really don’t like being stared at, I can’t wait to be free without garment and equipment, but I am not there yet…


I don’t remember very well what happened, I do recall the date: March 11th, 2017. 

I was sitting at the table eating fondue next to my sister, like many other days, when suddenly, without knowing how, I got fire over my t-shirt, I tried to stop it with my hands, my parents tried to stop it as well; only yelling and pain, I really thought I was going to die, and we just ran out to the hospital. 

I suffered 2nd degree partial and full-thickness burns in 23% of my body.

From the hospital... 

I don’t remember that much, at first, I did not know where I was or what had happened..., but after a few days, the visits began. I was so happy the day my mom told me she had many surprises for me: all my family had come to see me from Spain. Two by two they came to my room, no more people were allowed, but I laughed a lot with each of them. 

I remember Victoria, my friend Lisa’s mom, she brought me some stories and read them to me. Lis came too, my friend Emma’s mom, together we watched Moana but could not finish it because she had to go; and my uncle Jesus, who came from the United States and he brought me a Moana doll! Of all the visits, the one that pleased me the most was Lucía's, my sister, they gave her special permission to come and play with me, I missed her a lot, we had never spent so much time apart.
There is one day I did not forget, the day of the second skin graft, they took the skin from my leg, and when I woke up I felt a lot of pain, I remember I cried and yelled, my leg hurt so much that several nurses and doctors came in to give me more medicine until the pain went away. On the first surgery, they took the skin from my head and when I woke up nothing hurt.

They gave me a Diploma of Courage.

We spent a month at Saint Luc Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Lyon. My favorite nurses’ names were both Emilie, they sang with me, they gave me my medicines, the physiotherapists were very nice too, Sully and Nieves, they both spoke Spanish! All the doctors and nurses were very nice to me, and they even gave me a Diploma of Courage signed by all of them.
One day something very funny happened, some clowns came to the hospital! they made bubbles in my room, they did magic tricks, they disguised us, they played music and they made us laugh a lot.
I remember the day they forced me to walk ... I was afraid of falling. All the time I spent at the hospital I had many cables and a probe, I was lying down or sitting on the bed most of the time. After a few weeks they brought a wheelchair, and sometimes my mom and dad wanted to go up to the terrace and take me out of my room, but I did not like the idea very much, there were no children, I could not do anything, and nobody was as burned as I was.
I received many letters, stories, toys, visits from my relatives, visits from my parent’s friends, but Lucía was the only girl who could come play with me, I was always looking forward to seeing her on Wednesday or on weekends. My classmates and school teachers sent me videos and drawings, every day there was a surprise for me! I decided where to put the drawings and gifts in my room, the doctors said it was the most beautiful room in the entire hospital.
When I felt better, they told me that I could not be in the hospital anymore, hospitals are only for children who need help and medicines they said, but we could not go home because my skin was still healing. I was transferred to a burn center for children. It was only a few days away before my birthday, so I started crying because I wanted to celebrate it at my house.
A big surprise for me: "Romans Ferrari" center had a garden, and anybody could come to visit me when they wanted, but best of all, we were able to celebrate my birthday! I turned 7 years old 4 days after arriving. It was the happiest day, all my relatives from Spain were there, and we celebrated together with a party that lasted the whole weekend.

What I liked about the center was that the rooms were not like in the hospital, the walls were colorful, there were many children and they also had a school. I realized that like me, there were many other children who had suffered different accidents. 

I had everything I needed to heal at the center: doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, filiform showers, pressure garment, equipment ...

One day my psychologist asked me: what would you do if you had a magic wand? I told her: I would heal all the children in the center. My biggest wish was that there were no more burned children. What I did not like about the center was that I could not sleep with my mom, or was with my family and friends, I had to carry the equipment all day. I was immobilized so I couldn’t do much. I was in a wheelchair because it was very heavy and I was tired, I could not play everything I wanted, but, above all, I couldn’t give hugs ...
Sometimes I asked my mom: Why did I got burned? But she said there is no answer, it’s like asking Why do I have green eyes? Or Why am I smart? She says that everything happens to learn, and now I know a lot about burns, I know so much that I made an exposition to my class and explained everything about the skin layers and how to prevent accidents. I know I am lucky to have my family and my doctors, they are the best in the world!

18 months at the Center. 

I made many friends, some had worse injuries, others less, and I had to say goodbye to most of them because they left earlier than me. Some of them got burned with boiling water or oil, others with fire, or with electricity. The truth is that we all make mistakes, adults, and children My mom and dad took turns staying with me at the Center, at the "Family House. Every day we could have dinner together, but at noon I had to eat with the group. I went to school in the mornings and I had my treatments in the afternoons, but now all that seems so long ago, although It has been only 4 months since I left.

4 years later...

Share by: