My face melted off after a heater exploded – now I wear my scars with pride and I’m a social media star
A MUM was severely burnt after a heater exploded in her face.
April Charlesworth was celebrating her 28th birthday with friends at the pub when the horrifying freak incident unfolded.
She was rushed to hospital where doctors said her injuries were so serious she had to be put into an induced coma.
April, now 30, battled mental and physical scars for months afterwards, even covering up all the mirrors in her house.
But now, following a journey of self-acceptance inspired by her nine-year-old son Franklin, she shares her daily life with 30,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram.
The hairdresser said: "After the accident, I felt so horrible that I couldn’t look in mirrors for months, so my mum taped them up for me.
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"My self-confidence was completely destroyed and I wouldn’t leave the house for ages, only going outside if it was for my son.
"I still struggle with the appearance of the scars; there’s still days when I hate looking at them – but I deal with it a lot better now.
"I’m not ashamed of them anymore and wear them with pride."
April was injured at the King’s Head Public House in Sudbury, Suffolk, in April 2021, after one of her guests tossed ethanol on a heater, brought by a member of her party.
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It subsequently "exploded" in her face, leaving her skin ";on fire".
April said: "The flames hit me and my cousin.
"It was so scary, I thought my life was over.
"I just remember wanting to get my coat off and realising that my whole face was on fire."
April raced to the nearest hospital but it didn't have a burns unit so she was put into an induced coma for four days and sent to Queen Victoria hospital in Kent, where she remained for months.
Her mum Amanda, 53, remained by her side “every step of the way”.
'I THOUGHT MY LIFE WAS OVER'
April’s road to recovery has involved operations every six weeks for the past year, including laser surgery to reduce the appearance of her scars.
She said: "The healing process started as soon as I woke from the coma.
"I ended up with third degree burns to my face, hands, chest and arms.
"My son isn’t phased by my scars so that really helps and I’m actually more confident without make-up now than I was before the fire."
She now wants to warn others of the dangers of playing with fire, and to inspire those going through similar traumas.
"I was open about what happened to me as soon as I came out of hospital," she said.
"I wanted people to see the dangers of playing with fire so I went on social media to share my photos.
"It also makes me feel like people know what to expect if they see me in real life, if I’ve already shown it online first.
"Social media has really helped, the amount of people who are so supportive.
"I shared my story to help others going through some sort of trauma.
"At first it was strange, I felt really vulnerable. But then it felt nice that people cared so much and wanted to know how well I was doing.
"I’ve had so many people message me and ask how to deal with things and it’s made me feel amazing that I’m able to help people."
As part of her online work, April is an ambassador for Boohoo and “absolutely loves it”.
"I feel awkward making videos but I also really enjoy it and definitely enjoy the monthly clothes," she said.
"I would say to anybody experiencing burns, no matter how hard it seems now, I promise it gets better.
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"The amount of stuff doctors can do now is incredible.
"I wanted to end my life but I’m now happy again and know life is always worth living no matter how it feels at the time."
