PG resident tells her burn story to raise awareness for charity

Local resident, Debbie Wood is sharing her story in the hopes of raising awareness for the Burn Fund and Hometown Heroes Lottery.

When she was two-years-old, Debbie suffered 3rd-degree burns to 95 per cent of her body when the pajamas she wore caught fire.

She was attempting to help bake a cake when her mother was asleep and pushed a chair up against the stove. Leaning on the burners she was turning the knobs on and off not knowing which one was for the oven when the incident happened.

Since then she has been through 472 surgeries and has advice for everyone when it comes to fire safety.

“Be aware of what you’re wearing when you are around open flames, like a gas stove. Please be aware of other peoples feelings. That is the biggest thing in my life, people being rude, saying rude comments thinking I don’t hear them.”

PG firefighter Bryan Burleigh volunteers for Burn Fund and says what Debbie experienced emotionally is something kids still encounter today.

“Those kids that suffer burns get picked on a little bit and some of those kids who have gone through the physical healing, the scars are relatively short-lived but the mental and emotional scars take a lifelong journey to overcome.”

Hometown Heroes Lottery ticket purchases raise funds for specialized adult health services and research for all British Columbians, providing funds for the Provincial Burn Centre in Vancouver.

tickets can be found online and at London Drugs