Mother left with horrific burns after a gas grill exploded in her face

Mother, 36, reveals she was left with horrific burns across her entire body and spent a week in intensive care after a gas BBQ exploded in her face

Rebecca Rogers, from Wilmington in North Carolina, has been scarred for life
The 36-year-old former model spent a week in intensive care fighting for her life
She revealed that she needed multiple skin grafts to replace her damaged tissue
Doctors claim that it will be a year before the mother-of-two is fully recovered

A mother has told how she suffered horrific first- and second-degree burns across her entire body when a gas grill exploded in her face.

Rebecca Rogers, from Wilmington in North Carolina, has been scarred for life after her life-changing ordeal in August.

The 36-year-old spent a week in intensive care fighting for her life, before having multiple skin grafts to replace her dead tissue.

The former model says she suffers excruciating pain every day, and doctors claim it will be a year before she is fully recovered.

Rebecca Rogers has been scarred for life after her life-changing ordeal in August (she is believed to be pictured left before her ordeal, and right in hospital)

The 36-year-old spent a week in intensive care fighting for her life, before having multiple skin grafts to replace her dead tissue (pictured are her legs

Ms Rogers was at an unnamed friend’s apartment for a BBQ one evening in August when the gas grill exploded.

She decided to help clean out the grill they had been using, which was stationed at the apartment complex’s patio.

Not realising the grill was still lit, she opened the lid and a fireball unexpectedly hit her face and torso.

She revealed how hot flames also engulfed her legs and feet below her knees, which burned all of her skin off.

Screaming in pain, Ms Rogers’ friend immediately called an ambulance and she was rushed to the emergency room at a local hospital.

But she was soon transferred to the intensive care unit at the Jaycee Burn Centre in Chapel Hill. She was there for a week.

The former model says she suffers excruciating pain every day, and doctors claim it will be a year before she is fully recovered (it is believed she is pictured with her sons Timothy, 20, and Nikolas, 10)

Ms Rogers was at an unnamed friend’s apartment for a BBQ one evening in August when the gas grill exploded (it is thought she is pictured before the ordeal both left and right)

Ms Rogers’ mother has since set up a GoFundMe page for her daughter to help pay off occupational therapy costs (pictured in hospital)

Ms Rogers suffered first and second degree burns all over her body which required skin grafts. It is unclear how many she needed.

Doctors had to surgically remove large amounts of her skin tissue. Ms Rogers did not reveal how much skin was removed.

She said: ‘After the skin graft surgery it was very hard to move. I had to have help just going to the restroom and showering.

‘Now I am dealing with having to wear compression garments and removing them numerous times a day to put ointment on the burns. It’s not ideal to say the least.

‘Emotionally its very hard, I cant do everything I was normally able to do and have needed a great amount of help with just normal everyday tasks.’

Ms Rogers’ mother has since set up a GoFundMe page for her daughter to help pay off occupational therapy costs.

The money will also pay off any additional adjustments to her home, making it more accessible for her as she continues the recovery process.

Ms Rogers said: ‘Now I am trying to have the resemblance of normality even though that’s really going to be a dream for a while.

Doctors said her recovery process will take at least nine months. Ms Rogers hopes she will return to normal life as soon as possible. Ms Rogers said: ‘I would really like to be able to wear shorts and t-shirts again’ (she is pictured at home, following her ordeal)

‘I am still healing with large red burn marks all over my body. As for someone who modelled in the past, that’s very hard on me.

‘I have been very lucky to have numerous friends and family visit, and help me with daily tasks such as grocery shopping and laundry.’

Doctors said her recovery process will take at least nine months. Ms Rogers hopes she will return to normal life as soon as possible.

Ms Rogers, who is mother to Timothy, 20, and Nikolas, 10, said: ‘I would really like to be able to wear shorts and t-shirts again.

‘But seriously, I would like to never have nerve pain in my arms and legs. To go back to normal.’ She said she will never use a gas grill again.

She added: ‘With all struggles in life I like to think positively and say to myself, this too shall pass.

‘Everything is in a constant movement of change. So even though this has severely disrupted my life, I know that it will not [last] forever.’

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WHAT ARE BURNS?

Burns are damage to the skin caused by dry heat, such as an iron or a fire.

This is different to scalds, which occur due to wet heat like hot water or steam.

Burns can be very painful and may cause:

Red or peeling skin
Blisters
Swelling
White or charred skin

But the amount of pain a person feels is not always related to how serious the burn is.

Even a very serious burn can be painless.

To treat a burn:

Remove the heat source
Cool with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes. Do not use ice
Remove any nearby clothing or jewellery unless it is stuck to the skin
Keep the person warm with a blanket
Cover the burn with clingfilm
Use painkillers like paracetamol if necessary
If the face or eyes are burnt, keep sitting up to reduce swelling

Burns that require immediate A&E treatment are:

Chemical or electrical
Large or deep – bigger than the injured person’s hand
Those that cause white or charred skin
Those on the face, hands, limbs, feet or genitals that blister

Pregnant women, children under five, the elderly, those with a weak immune system and people suffering from a medical condition, like diabetes, should also go to hospital.

Treatment depends on what layers of the skin are affected.

In severe cases, a skin graft may be required.

Source: NHS Choices

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