Finn’s mother, Surini will never forget receiving the phone call from her husband Jeremy, telling her that he was in an ambulance with their six-year-old son Finn on their way to The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).
Much like other six-year-olds, Finn was jostling around in the kitchen and accidently knocked a jug of hot water onto himself. The water fell off the counter, hitting him mid-torso and running down his body, burning every surface from torso to knee.
“I think he went into shock from the pain, however, my mother who was home at the time, took him straight into the shower and sat on the floor with him in her arms until the ambulance arrived.”
To Surini, her mother’s actions were nothing short of heroic.
“It reduced his pain until the paramedics were able to administer pain relief and reduced the severity of his burns as he had treatment straight away.”
When Surini arrived at the RCH, it was clear that Finn’s burns were quite severe.
“It took a long time to treat him in the emergency department as his clothing had stuck to his skin and had to be cut off. His skin was charred and burned and required lots of treatment and bandaging.”
Finn spent the next week in hospital being seen by nurses, physios, doctors and surgeons. He then required frequent visits back to the RCH to get his wounds re-dressed, checked and treated.
The first couple of weeks were a blur for Surini and Jeremy.
“His time at home when he was recovering was quite scary. He was in considerable pain and was quite immobile early on as he was bandaged up like a mummy from torso to knee to keep the wounds protected.”
Finn required around the clock care and attention to do simple things as well as helping him with daily physio to ensure that he regained the right range of movement.
“The support we got from the RCH was amazing. I especially want to call out Jess and Kathy our burns nurses, who have been exceptional and so incredibly caring to Finn and us as we navigated this unknown and terrifying territory.
“From day one – they put us at ease, were so patient with us, so clear in the steps that we needed to take and they made this journey manageable.
“They spent time talking to us about his treatment plan in hospital and his care plan when we got home.
They also took the time to talk about things that we had not even thought about such as body image consciousness in children, the impact that growing with a scar could have on a small child, the importance of the family’s mental health, and celebrating the small wins.
“They were also wonderful to our elder son Noah who is nine, and talked us through the impact this accident may have on our entire family, as this was a difficult and scary time for Noah too.
Surini and Jeremy are most proud of how quickly Finn adapted to his new situation.
“He took things one day at a time. At six, he had an amazing ability to put the past behind him and focus on the future.
“I am also so proud of how he handled his return to school, which was scary for him as he returned with bandages under his uniform, was easily tired and restricted in his movements. It was also frightening for us to let him go.”
Now aged seven, Finn is currently tackling Year 1.
“Finn is thriving. He is a happy little boy, back at school and ready to play with his friends.
“When you ask Finn what happened he says in a very matter-of-fact tone that “I had an accident, I got burnt, it looks scary but I’m better now.””
Thank you to Finn and family for sharing their experience in Burns Awareness Month. You can find more information about burns prevention at Kids Health Information.
