Burn victim on the road to recovery
Earlier this week, a nine year old was school boy from Carmelita, Orange Walk, was severely burnt as he worked along his father. He was hospitalized and then transferred from the K.H.M.H. to the Shriners Hospital in Galveston, Texas. News Five Delahnie Bain spoke to the family of the child and found out that the brave young soul is on the way to recovery.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
Kent Flowers Junior is in the Shriners Hospital in Galveston Texas being treated for severe burns to about eighty-five percent of his body. According his father, Kent Senior, the injuries are the result of a tragic mishap on Monday while his son was with him doing some work.
Kent Flowers Sr., Father of Burn Victim
“I was working on my car and I had a gas pump; I wanted to try it first before I put it in the tank and I had it in a container with some gas and my son was right there beside the car. I went inside to start the car and when I looked through the windshield I saw this blaze of fire and he was trying to out the fire so he grabbed the dish and instead of throwing away the gas, the gas went on him.”
Dr. Cecilio Eck, Paediatrician
“He was transported to the hospital and in the nick of time. One of the issues that occur with circumferential burns or burns around the hands and feet is that the tissue within the burn becomes very swollen and it squeezes the arteries. When this happens there is decreased blood supply to the end part of the hand and feet and you could lose the hand and feet.”
While Kent Junior’s limbs were saved by quick response, according to Paediatrician Dr. Cecilio Eck, transporting him to the states saved his life.
Dr. Cecilio Eck, Paediatrician
“What determines mortality is not only the percentage of your body that is burnt but also the degree of burns and his burns degree, most of it was third degree burns which basically means that the entire superficial layer of the skin and the deep layer of the skin were burned away from about eighty-five percent of his body. The mortality rate for any child above eighty percent in the third world approaches a hundred percent meaning that if they are not sent to a burn unit, they will die. Initially, our job here is to stabilize, which we did and re-hydrated him with fluids and started with antibiotics. Then with the kind help of the donors the air ambulance arrived.”
And pulling the strings to get an air ambulance on such short notice was Yvette Burks of the Burn Victims Mercy Fund.
Yvette Burks, Burn Victim Mercy Fund
“I have been working with the Shriners hospital in Galveston for years now and so they have gotten to the point I think also where they trust that if a case is stated to be at a certain extent, it is a true factor. Of course, later they do set up a physician to physician conference and get the rest of the information but in this case, I spoke to them and really had a complete okay in less than fifteen minutes, which was really wonderful.”
Kent Junior and his mother left Belize on Tuesday and Doctor Eck believes his chances of survival are very good.
Dr. Cecilio Eck
“His chances have increased tremendously and the reason for that is not because of a lack of expertise in Belize but because of a lack of infrastructure.”
Kent Flowers Sr.
“I get good words already that he is gonna make it. Ms. Burks she really help with a lot of the finance but I still gotta come up with some more so I would like to ask people—I know right now times is hard but you got extra change or whatever if you can just donate it.”
The Lifeline Foundation made a donation to the cause on Wednesday and anyone else wishing to assist the Flowers family, can make a deposit to the Burn Victim Mercy Fund account number 695-115-2111 at the Belize Bank. Delahnie Bain for News Five.
