this past weekend we went down to hengchun for tomb sweeping. one of the customs during the proceedings is to burn "ghost money"; and as we did this, a real freak accident happened. a still-burning sheet of money flew out from the container and plastered itself right onto olivia's face a few meters away causing second-degree burns on her left cheek, nose and upper lip!
photo taken the day after.
photo taken two days later.
i feel really really really horrible and feel like i'm the worst father in the world for having this happen to her. everytime i look at her, i just wanna cry. ultimately, i only wish and hope there aren't any scars /blemishes on her face.
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***UPDATE*** I've done a follow-up post a year after the accident to show people how Olivia has healed. Please click the following link: http://dreintaiwan.blogspot.com/2010/04/olivias-2nd-degree-burns-one-year-later.html
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
olivia's 2nd degree burns
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23 comments:
Poor Olivia! Don't beat yourself up over this Andres, things could have been worse.
thanks todd! i really can't help it. i'm suppose to protect her from all harm but i completely failed to do so. for the past few days, i keep thinking over and over again all the things i could have easily done different that could have prevented this.
What a traumatic thing to happen to both of you :( I'm sorry. Don't blame yourself though you can't control the wind and obviously you had no idea this could happen.
Sorry guys!!! :(
Hopefully no scars will be left on your daughter's face... And, it's an uncontrollable incident... Noone hopes to see this incident happened... So, it's uselees to blame anyone, including you yourself...
cat... thanks! i'm really sorry too :(
Seagull on the sea... thank you! i hope so too! if there were scars, mentally it would be really tough on her, espcially being a girl. however, with today's advanced medicine and plastic surgery, i guess we'd always have some options on the worst case scenario.
I'd blame myself too, if it had happened to my daughter - that's just normal for a father. Realistically though: there is nothing you can do to prevent something like that. We feel guilt when something happens to our children (even though we are not at fault) and try to come up with ways to prevent the harm. Being overly protective is harmful too though - so we must keep our instincts in check.
I hope it heals soon - for her sake so she'll no longer feel pain, and for yours so you can have peace of mind.
Stefan... thank you for your consolation and encouragement. it is somewhat comforting to hear from another father. i still feel really guilty tho'. i am fully aware and understand that it was an accident, but the fact of the matter is it could have been prevented had i easily done a few things differently.
I really feel for you Andres. The poor girl - she must have cried her eyes out. Give her a hug for me.
Jeez, poor girl; I am really hoping this turns out okay. It's tough being a dad. I was in Youth Park yesterday. My daughter climbed up a ladder to get into a tree house. A boy eight months older followed her, but he lost his grip, fell out and conked his head on a pole. I really felt for that dad. We're so helpless because we can't even start to imagine all of the possibilities. What are you supposed to do? Keep her in a room wrapped with saran wrap? It's really tough. Poor, poor kid.
thanks Patrick! For some reason, i find it really comforting when hearing from another father. i know there's only so much we can do. IT IS a really tough. by the way, she is recovering really well so i feel a little better now.
Poor Olivia. I'm sure she'll bounce back better than ever.
thanks craig! we sure hope so too!
Oh I am so sorry for that to happen.. but she's a adorable baby, I am sure she will grow out of it in now time
take care!
Leon
Sinapore
leon... thanks for your encouragement!
Andres, I heard about Olivia from MJ y'day. What a freak and terrible thing to have happened to her. I was absolutely shocked to hear this. I hope she is already doing much much better by now. I can't imagine the pain she went through and how terrible you must have felt watching her go through this. But I second everyone else here that at times some accidents happen and little you could do about them to prevent. So no need to beat up yourself on this and give all your love and attention to Olivia for speedy recovery. I wish we all forget if this ever happened in couple months and watch Susan (my 2 month old daughter) and Olivia play together when we meet :)
thank ashish! she is doing really well. she actually never skipped a beat and has been her playful and naughty self all along. we can't wait to meet Susan!
Hey Andreas, I had a freak accident too. It was this Sunday, not too sunny, not too hot, and my 7 month old baby stayed out on sun for 40 mins or so and got a second degree burn to her face, similar to yours.
How is your baby girl doing now? I hope not scars are left at all...maybe you can post pictures to show. I hope none will be left at all..
feliksny, i'm really sorry to hear about your little one and hope she makes a great recovery soon. i know how much it hurts seeing your little baby hurt. just last night, olivia lost her footing while walking on our bed and fell to the ground head-first making a really lound thump and ackwardly twisting her body. she threw up a little bit a few seconds later, so we thought she had a concussion. after a while, she was ok and running around the house again, altho' with a huge bruise and bump on her forehead. despite her doing ok, i was feeling like crap all night and even now because of her fall.
as for her burns, olivia is doing really good. most of her skin has grown back, so it's just a slight pink blemish now which we're hoping will go away soon. we got an ointment from the burn specialist at the hospital which we keep a thick layer on her burns at all times.
How has your daughter healed? My son has just recieved 2nd degree burns on his face, and I am hoping for something to hope upon
^^
hi, my daughter has completely healed. in fact, we look at her and forget that she was even burnt at all. there are no scars nor blemishes at all. kids have the most amazing healing powers, so stay positive. wish the best for your son.
I received a similar burn and would like to know how long it took your daughter's wound to heal and how long did it take the redness to go away? My burn has been there a month and still very red. I very worried about the redness. Thank you for your insight and I very glad your daughter's has healed completely.
Hi Andre, what was put on Olivia right after the burn? I have the same question as the person above.
Hi Andre, what did ou put on her scar? My seven month daughter just had a second degree burn on her left leg. I was baking something when I smell it was burning so I was panic and opened the oven while carrying my daughter. I really cried and don't know what to do when I found out she has burn. and it's because of me I feel like I am the wordt mom:(. She is completely ok now, her blister just pop up the other day. And now the dead skin is gone. It's her seven day today. And the burn is red you can see the fresh meat.
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