Survival after a traumatic injury

Surviving a traumatic injury such as a burn has two components that are related. First, the physical component, your medical treatment, surgeries, drugs, and all of the things that happen in the hospital all effect what happens. This part takes place in your body with your doctors help.

The second component is the non-physical component. Making a decision to live has a tremendous effect on the physical component, but to make such a decision requires faith in a future that seems completely unknown. Faith that life is indeed worth living. You fight against negative mental constructs. Words like "attractive", "ugly", and "self-worth" may need to be deconstructed and re-defined in your brain. You may find out you didn't really know what any of those words meant. Being burned lends itself to being grateful for the mundane things in life: air, breathing, walking, playing with children, being present for holidays etc. That is a gift. Being mindful of those things is easy early on in the injury when you first get out of the hospital. After you've healed and some time has passed, this may be more difficult. Being mindful of what is happening right now, re-defining with each moment what and who you are is possible and necessary and really going on whether you want it to or not.

Support plays a key role. Being in the burn unit is an isolating experience. To support someone who has been burned -- show up! Help with whatever needs to be done at that time. That makes all the difference and gives that person more strength than you will ever know.