Girl, 5, says love of Elsa from Frozen helped her survive 70% burns after accidentally setting herself on fire with Zippo lighter
Lillie Robinson from Indiana was placed in a coma as doctors worked on burns covering most of her body
Lillie Robinson from Indiana was placed in a coma as doctors worked on burns covering most of her body
A LITTLE girl who survived 70 per cent burns after accidentally setting herself on fire is making a recovery thanks to Disney’s Princess Elsa from Frozen.
Five-year-old Lillie Robinson from Indianapolis, in the US state of Indiana, was playing with a Zippo lighter she had taken from the kitchen counter when she dropped a burning toothpick on to her dress.
She was rushed to hospital the day before Thanksgiving where parents Amanda Robinson, 39, and Brian Bray, 35, feared she wouldn’t survive.
The little girl was placed into a medically induced coma as doctors worked on the third and fourth-degree burns covering most of her body.
She has had eight surgeries to date, including one to grow some of her healthy skin in a lab before being placed back on to her body, along with traditional skin grafts.
Making a miraculous recovery, Lillie overcomes the pain of daily occupational therapy and wound changes thanks to her favourite Disney princess Elsa.
In occupational therapy little Lillie has been helped to straighten her arms walk again.
And during this she pretends to be Princess Elsa, singing Let It Go from the film Frozen, which makes it more fun for her and stops her from hurting as much.
Her mum Amanda said: “It makes me very proud seeing the video but also sad to see her like that, especially with everything we have been through so far.
“I was taking the video, so you couldn’t see my face, but I could not stop crying, it was amazing to see.”
Wearing a long blonde wig to look like the character voiced by Idina Menzel, she struggles to sing but it helps her overcome her pain.
She is expected to be released from hospital later this month but will face a long recovery, which her family are fundraising to help with.
Amanda said: “I was not aware she had the Zippo lighter at all, I yelled to her that I was going to pick up her dad — her uncle was downstairs.
“Then while doing some shopping we got a call from my brother saying, she accidentally set herself on fire and that he had to put her out.
“She was in her room, she had toothpicks and apparently she tried to light it on fire, when it did her clothes caught fire too."
A fundraiser has been set up to help the family and their daughter to recover.
The donations will help them to pay for Lillie’s medical bills and for the future therapy she will need and additional medical garments.
To help rehabilitate her, Lillie is undergoing daily sessions of therapy and regular counselling to deal with what happened.
Amanda said: “She has had nightmares and we are trying to prevent her from being sad. It was an accident, she didn’t know what would happen – she is only five.
“I do however feel Zippo lighters should be childproof.”
She was in her room, she had toothpicks and apparently she tried to light it on fire, when it did her clothes caught fire too
Mum Amanda
The family is now urging other parents to take heed of their unfortunate accident, warning others about the dangers of Zippos and lighters.
To date Lillie has undergone eight surgeries to replace her burned skin, thankfully without her body rejecting it so far.
The newly grafted skin has caused mobility issues for the girl, which she is battling to overcome in daily sessions.
Amanda said: “The funds will be going to getting her comfortable clothing and pressure garments to help with her recovery, and so that I can stay at home to take care of her.
“Doctors say you have an amazing little girl, but I already knew that.
“I don’t think I could endure all the pain she is going through and for her to be able to make jokes, sing and make the effort to walk is amazing to me.”
To donate to the family in their bid to pay for her care click .
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