An Australian mother who spent almost a decade recovering from horrific burns just celebrated her first Mother’s Day with her bundle of joy.
An incident at a birthday party 10 years ago turned Charlotte Brown’s life upside down.
The fire from a tabletop ethanol burner burned more than 30 percent of his body.
Ms Brown suffered such terrible burns that she spent more than five weeks in an induced coma at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Charlotte Brown and her husband Andrew welcomed their first daughter, Edith, in March.
He spent his twenties relearning how to breathe, walk and talk independently.
Her husband Andrew also suffered serious burns in the fire.
The couple was in the hospital at the same time and supported each other through their darkest days.
They wanted to start a family, but were worried about how Mrs. Brown’s scars would affect her pregnancy.
Fortunately, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Edith, in March.
“I was 22 when the accident happened and I was put in an induced coma for five and a half weeks, during which most of my body, apart from my legs, was grafted with unburned skin,” Mrs Brown said.
‘It has challenged every part of me physically and mentally, but I have become more resilient and capable than ever.
“I’ve had an exciting career so far, I’m married to my wonderful husband, we have the best friends and families, two lovely dogs and now our first baby.”
The fire from an ethanol burner burned more than 30 percent of Ms. Brown’s body.
The new mother said she was very grateful to all the doctors and nurses who guided her through her pregnancy and delivery.
“We had to see how it went,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The Brisbane summer heat really affected me with a lot of scarring because I can’t thermally regulate my body properly.
‘There was a small scar on my belly which became very tight towards the end of my pregnancy.
“I had to follow everything very closely.”
Brown spent three months in the hospital recovering from his accident, followed by two years of rehabilitation.
He received a lot of physical therapy to regain movement and elasticity of the skin.
The new mom said she was “absolutely in love with motherhood.”
“It’s a roller coaster, like the burn rehab journey… You have good days and bad days, but in the end they all count,” he said.
“I’m learning a lot along the way and enjoying all the happy moments with Edith and my family.”
The new mom said she was “absolutely in love with motherhood”
Now 32, Ms. Brown is a communications consultant and advocate for initiatives that educate and empower survivors so they can thrive and achieve the things they really want, “like starting a family.”
“Beyond the years of physical therapy, the psychological and social journey one undertakes as a burn survivor also takes a long time,” he said.
‘Learning to love yourself again and drawing strength from what you’ve been through is difficult but absolutely possible: there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“I want to show women with scars and/or burns that it is possible to have a happy and healthy life.”
Ms Brown and her husband founded Burnslife, a non-profit arm of the RBWH Foundation, to provide psychosocial support to burn victims and their carers.
She is also co-chair of the Burns Association of Australia and New Zealand’s national Consumer Advisory Group.