NIGHTMARE BEFORE XMAS
I’m sharing heartbreaking photos of my little Tate as a warning to all parents this Christmas – I feel so guilty
Find out the dos and dont's of treating burns
AS mum Jadah Evans pottered around the kitchen on Christmas Eve, she was stopped in her tracks by a splash of hot water hitting her foot.
Spinning around, the 24-year-old was shocked by the scene she was faced with.
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Her son, Tate, who was just one at the time, was on the floor covered in boiling hot coffee.
Within a matter of minutes his skin began to turn red and blister, leaving Jadah in panic mode.
Now, almost a year on from his traumatic ordeal, he is on the road to recovery but still requires further treatment.
Jadah, from Minnesota, US, is now sharing heartbreaking photos of her son to help raise awareness of what to do in these situations, and is speaking out in support of other burn survivors and their families.
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She says: “For so long, I blamed myself for what happened to Tate.
“I’m just so thankful that he’s healing."
On Christmas Eve last year, Jadah was looking forward to spending the holiday with Tate and her family.
That morning, her brother was visiting and they were getting ready for a day of festive games at their aunt’s house.
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Jadah remembers: “My brother and Tate were watching Home Alone in the living room, while I was in the kitchen.
“A pot of coffee was brewing on the worktop.
I was bedbound for two weeks after out-of-date hot water bottle burst and left me with burns over my thighs and groin
“As I pottered about the kitchen, I suddenly felt something hot splash my foot.”
Spinning around, Jadah saw Tate on the floor, covered in the boiling hot coffee.
The French press, or cafetiere, was smashed to pieces beside him.
While Jadah’s back was turned, he’d quietly walked into the kitchen and pulled it over himself.
'I felt so guilty'
“I screamed for my brother and started removing Tate’s clothes,” she says.
“His skin was red raw and already starting to blister. He was in shock.”
Hearing the commotion, Jadah’s brother’s dog came bounding over and nipped Tate’s ear, causing a nasty gash.
Her brother rang the emergency services, as well as their mum.
Jadah says: “It was freezing outside, so I wrapped Tate in a blanket and tried to comfort him. But he was hysterical.”
Minutes later, Jadah’s mum arrived, closely followed by paramedics and police officers.
Medics administered pain relief, before rushing Tate in an ambulance to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
There, doctors examined his skin and decided that he’d need to be airlifted to a specialist burns unit.
“I wasn’t allowed to travel with him, so I made the one-hour journey with my mum to meet him there,” Jadah says.
“I cried the whole way. I felt so guilty.”
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When Jadah arrived at Regions Hospital in Minnesota, doctors had shaved Tate’s head.
They were dressing his wounds and giving him more pain relief.
Jadah says: “It was five hours before I was allowed to see him.
“Doctors told me that he’d suffered second-degree burns to the upper half of his body, including his head, face, chest, back and shoulder.
“They reassured me that he was going to be OK, but I was so upset.”
In the following hours, Tate’s face swelled to the point where he couldn’t see.
Doctors then decided that he’d need surgery on his ear where the dog had bitten him.
It took me two weeks to let him walk around the apartment
Jadah
That day, surgeons cleaned and stitched Tate’s ear to prevent infection.
They also inserted a feeding tube up his nose to ensure he was consuming enough nutrients.
Jadah says: “The next day, on Christmas Day, nurses gave Tate some presents to open, including a teddy bear and an action figure.
“But Tate was so distressed. Even though he was being given pain relief every four hours, he was constantly crying in pain.
“It was really hard to watch.”
Turning a corner
Two days later, Tate was taken back to theatre for a seven-hour skin graft.
Surgeons took donor skin from his back and placed it over his burns.
Jadah remembers: “After that, Tate turned a corner.
“His cheeky personality started to show and he was able to get out of bed.
“After five days, he said ‘Mamma’ for the first time since his accident. I was so proud of him.”
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Over the next week, doctors monitored Tate and regularly changed his bandages.
A physio also visited to help with the mobility in his arms.
A week and a half after the accident, Tate’s feeding tube and bandages were removed and he was discharged.
Jadah says: “Back home, Christmas was forgotten about, but I still opened Tate’s presents with him.
“He loved his new trampoline and kitchen set.
“That night, I watched him so closely, scared of another accident happening.
“I also put a stair gate up to shut off the kitchen.
“It took me two weeks to let him walk around the apartment.”
How to treat burns
Your skin has three layer; the outer layer (epidermis), the dermis (which contains vessels, nerves, hair follicles) and the deeper layer of fat (subcutis).
A full thickness burn is when all layers of skin are damaged, while a superficial burn is when only the top layer has been effected.
The NHS says to treat a burn:
- Immediately get the person away from the heat source
- Remove any clothing or jewellery, including babies' nappies, but do not move anything that's stuck to the skin
- Cool the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 to 30 minutes – do not use ice, iced water, or any creams or greasy substances like butter
- Make sure the person keeps warm by using a blanket, for example
- After cooling the burn, cover the burn by placing a layer of cling film over it – a clean plastic bag could also be used for burns on your hand
- Use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
- Raise the affected area if possible to reduce swelling
- If it's an acid or chemical burn, dial 999, carefully try to remove the chemical and any contaminated clothing, and rinse the affected area using as much clean water as possible
You should go to a hospital A&E department for:
- All chemical and electrical burns
- Large or deep burns – any burn bigger than the injured person's hand
- Burns that cause white or charred skin – any size
- Burns on the face, neck, hands, feet, any joints or genitals
Over the following months, Jadah was back and forth with Tate to doctors' appointments.
Thankfully, the burns on his face healed perfectly, but those on his head started scarring.
Because of this, he was required to wear a compression garment, and Jadah had to put ointment on his wounds and moisturise them twice a day.
Jadah says: “He’s expected to have further surgeries, but for now, he’s recovering really well.
“He’s been so courageous and strong.
“I would never wish what happened to Tate on anyone.
“This year has been so hard.”
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she adds: “We’re looking forward to a peaceful Christmas together.
“The only gift I could ask for, I've already got – a happy and healthy little boy.”
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