Presley and her mom Karen Peterson, have checked out of the BC Children’s Hospital and into the Burn Fund Centre.
Presley was badly burned while doing an online science project involving gunpowder at home and airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital on June 18.
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“We moved two nights ago to the Burns Centre on Main Street,” said Karen on Firday, July 6. “It’s good. It’s like shared accommodation with seven other families so it’s nice to have people that are going through the same kind of thing.”
She had another burn bath yesterday (July 5), says Karen, and her legs, face and hands don’t require dressings anymore.
“It’s her arms that are just not regenerating new skin. They won’t know, they can’t make a decision about the grafts because they’re hoping that now that her hands are all fresh and new and regenerating that it’ll signal to the arms to get going.”
Every day is different and a journey, she says, adding that the scary thing is her mental state, from watching out for PTSD to nightmares.
“It has to work itself through so you don’t stuff it and bury it. You have to kind of feel your way through it and stuff. She’s just a trooper, she’s just super brave and super courageous. She faces every bath bravely right. It’s not a fun thing to have to go through but the fact is that we’re hopeful about her arms because look at her face. They thought she was going to be unrecognizable and she isn’t. So we know the power of prayer, the miracles that have unfolded because of power, prayer and positivity.”
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They’re focusing on doing one little thing every day, like walking to a coffee shop, go to the movies and do something where she has to face the public, says Karen.
“Of course people are staring and that makes her want to isolate and hide out in her room but we’re just baby step,” she says. If Presley does need skin grafts, they would be taken from her mom, Karen.
She’s still on a lot of medication but off morphine as of four days ago, says Karen.
“It’s really just such a day to day experience.”
There are still tons of people messaging and sending letters as well as tons of Vancouver support.
“Lots of people in Vancouver still bringing me AA meetings. That’s really important for me to keep my sobriety in check and really take care of my sobriety because without it I have nothing.”
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One family auctioned off a pig at the Bridge Lake Rodeo for her, says Karen.
“Which is funny because she’s a vegetarian she was like ‘noooo!’”
Presley continues to have the burn baths and they really hope that they can both go home by the end of the month, says Karen.
“That’s their hope for us. It’ll depend on the grafts and then she’ll have to come back to the clinic for her checkups.”
Presley is looking forward to coming home, according to Karen.
She says they’re grateful to Burn Fund Centre, staff, Vancouver and her twin sister, as well as the Blissed Out Yoga tribe for keeping her studio alive in her absence.
“We’re just grateful to 100 Mile, grateful to Vancouver, grateful to people that know us, that don’t know us, all the nurses, all the doctors.”
If you’re looking to donate, the gofundme is still open.
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