A simple oatmeal lunch turned into a nightmare for a seven-year-old boy who burned part of his little body after spilling boiling water.
• Read also: The miraculous: Charles had even forgotten Christmas
• Read also: Miracles: little Laurence learns to walk and talk again
• Read also: The miraculous: Sandro, mom’s little winner
“It was quite an adventure,” recalls Marie-Maude Lefebvre, Henri’s mother.
On the morning of April 6, 2021, the boy’s father had put the electric kettle on to heat up. The twins Henri and Renaud, 7, had sat down at the counter next door to eat oatmeal.
Without the parents seeing him, Henri wanted to pour water into his bowl. Instead, he overturned the kettle: a liter of boiling water spilled over him.
“I heard a scream. It was a cry like we had never heard, “says the mother, who was upstairs at the time. “He screamed once for three seconds. And then he stopped. He was stiff, in shock. »
Quickly, the mother called 911, and undressed Henri.
“He said nothing more, he was shaking. He was not in pain. The body is well made anyway, ”says the 38-year-old mother.
His brother Renaud was also burned by the splashes of boiling water, but more superficially. For Henri, the “severe” second degree burns affected 30% of his body (thighs, private parts and torso).
Several transplants
At the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Henri was hospitalized for three weeks and underwent three surgeries. The boy had a skin graft in several places (pubis, private parts and thighs).
In the following months, the boy had many follow-ups in hospital to make sure the skin was healing properly. He also had to relearn how to walk and “unbend” to climb the stairs or go to the bathroom.
“His burn was so extensive that his skin was made rigid,” recalls Ms. Lefebvre, psychoeducator.
Today, the great sportsman Henri continues to wear compression garments at all times. Her mother hopes the healing process will be complete within six months.
Although the event was difficult for the family, the now 9-year-old boy has evolved positively.
“He learned so much tolerance, to be patient […] He learned to communicate, supports the mother. I was super impressed. »
BURNS
■ In the second degree “severe”
■ Several skin grafts needed
Skin will never be the same again
Scarring is the longest part of healing after severe burns and children are monitored as they grow.
“It’s the after that is more difficult,” says Dr. Sabrina Cugno, plastic surgeon at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
“Children heal better than adults, but the scars are often more extensive,” she adds.
In his case, Henri received a skin graft from the back of his thighs, to heal his burns.
“When you take the skin elsewhere, it’s another area that has to heal afterwards. But the grafts are always thin, as if creating a thin, superficial burn,” explains Dr. Cugno, who operated on the boy.
“It’s as thin as parchment paper,” compares Marie-Maude Lefebvre, Henri’s mother.
Long process
Massages, pressure garments, follow-up with different specialists: the healing process takes at least a year thereafter.
“It’s mainly a question of appearance, but also we don’t want it to interfere with growth and mobility. That the grafted skin is not too stiff,” says Dr. Cugno.
Sometimes children even have to be operated on again. One thing is certain, the grafted skin will never be like before.
“We try to optimize it as much as possible, says the specialist. It’s not more fragile, but it’s in appearance that it’s different. »