The first post of my stories written while as reporter for the Brighton-Pittsford Post. This story is about the struggle of a young woman to deal with serious burns suffered as a child and how she raises awareness for burn victims.

After the fire, comes life

By Matt Ried

Imagine growing up with disfiguring scars over 65 percent of your body and not remembering life before your accident.

Who do you turn to for support? How would you deal with it?

That's the life of Wendy Hunt of Fort Collins, Colo., who was burned when she was just 3 years old. But it could just as easily be anyone you know - a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker.

Every day, someone in the United States suffers serious burns, leaving them to deal not only with the healing of physical scars, but emotional ones as well.

That's one of the reasons the Finger Lakes Regional Burn Association, based on East River Road in West Brighton, was formed. It's also the reason the association sponsored Burn Survivor Day, held at Brighton Fire Department's station No. 1 on East Avenue this past Sunday, Feb. 4.

The event, which was held to kick off Burn Awareness Week, Feb. 5 through 9, brought local burn survivors together to hear the story of Wendy Hunt and to share in their own stories.

A partnership

The Finger Lakes Regional Burn Association was formed in 1988 as a partnership between local fire agencies and burn-care centers to provide support for burn survivors, burn-prevention education, and financial resources for burn-care centers.

At the time it was formed, Strong Memorial Hospital was the only burn center affiliated with the association. Now, the association has expanded to include burn centers in Buffalo and Syracuse.

Association president John Hall of Irondequoit was one of its founders.

"There are lots of burn survivors who haven't had the opportunity to socialize," he said. "The goal of events such as this is to get them together to talk and help them on the road to becoming more confident about themselves."

The association provides support to survivors in all sorts of ways.

"We guide them through all aspects of their recovery," Hall said. "Survivors have to deal with effects of their scars on their appearance, their sex life, interactions at home, and in the workplace."

He spoke of one boy burned by playing with matches.

"He's very shy," Hall said. "Other kids have made fun of him because of his scars. But through the efforts of programs like our burn camp, he's starting to come out of his shell."

Burn camp is another aspect of the organization's outreach. Held every year at Camp Asbury on Silver Lake, the camp provides fun and support to children who are burn survivors.

"We have an almost 1-to-1 staff-to-camper ratio," Hall said. "In addition to making sure the kids have fun, we provide them with a significant amount of emotional counseling."

The burn camp has grown so popular, the association is looking for a larger camp to hold it at in the near future.

Wendy's story

Wendy Hunt was a vibrant 3-year-old growing up in Fort Collins, Colo., when her life changed forever. During a family visit, she and her cousins were playing in a fort in her yard. There was a bonfire burning in the middle of the fort.

"One of the cousins, who was 7, took a Cool Whip container of gasoline and started to pour it on the fire," Hunt said.

What happened next scarred two families forever.

"The fire started to flash," Hunt recalled. "My cousin started to get scared and threw the container at the fire. The gasoline splashed all over us."

Hunt's 7-year-old cousin was so severely burned he died from his injuries. Hunt was burned over 65 percent of her body. Her two cousins suffered burns over 35 to 40 percent of theirs.

Hunt spent four months in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries to treat the burns.

"I don't remember any of this," she said. "Everything I've said was told to me by family members. I don't remember my life before I was burned."

Like many burn survivors, Hunt struggled initially to deal with her scars. Throughout most of her childhood, there were no burn camps or support groups to help her deal with her injuries.

"I didn't go to my first burn camp until I was 11," she said.

It was around that time when Hunt decided that she wasn't going to let her appearance limit her.

"I was becoming a teen-ager, and I wanted to do all the things teen-agers do - play sports, date, go to dances, etc.," she said. "The only way that was going to happen was if I went out and did it."

Hunt took the initiative. She started going to dances and trying out for sports. If no one asked her to dance, she would ask them.

"I decided I couldn't sit around and wait to be asked, because I might never be," she said.

As a result of her initiative, Hunt is very self-confident and an inspiration to at least one member of the burn association - co-facilitator Maria Lohr of Rochester.

"I was burned when I was 21," Lohr said. "It was very difficult because I was at the age when I wanted to start looking at developing a serious relationship and starting a family. I was very self-conscious after my accident and would wear clothing to cover myself up."

Then she met Hunt.

"It was at the World Burn Congress in Calgary," Lohr recalled. "There she was, getting off the bus in a spaghetti-strap dress, obviously very comfortable with herself. I later got the chance to talk to her and she became an inspiration to me."

Hunt inspired Lohr to follow her dreams. As a result, Lohr went back to school and recently graduated with a degree in social work. She will be leaving the burn association soon to take a job in Colorado.

Helping the Association

The Finger Lakes Burn Association holds a number of fund-raising efforts throughout the year, including the Burn Walk in June. Another event, which will be held at Bristol Mountain in March, is being organized by Brighton Fire Department battalion chief Alan Grossman.

"It's called the Firemen's Ski Race," he said. "Basically what it is are teams of firefighters who ski down the mountain wearing their full turnout gear. The proceeds will go toward the association."

Grossman said he is still seeking sponsors for the event.

For more information on the Finger Lakes Burn Association, call 482-6770 or write to Finger Lakes Burn Association, 300 E. River Road, Rochester, 14623.