My then 16 year old son was cooking with oil 2 years ago when it caught fire.  He tried to move the burning pot which then exploded, catching the whole floor alight and himself.  He received severe full thickness burns to over 50% of his body. He was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where he remianed in a coma for weeks as well as having over 40 operations and skin grafts in six weeks.  It was the worst thing any mother could see her child go through and the accident happened so quickly.  All the training I had about what to do in this type of emergency went right out the window.  It has taken over two years to get to where he is today.  He had to learn to walk, feed himself and shower himself again and still goes through a great deal of agony.  He has lost most of his eyesight but is a very determined child and has gone back to studying and is looking forward to his working future.  I urge every parent to think carefully and remember it can happen to anyone at any time.  Please learn fire satey and first-aid thoroughly because no-one knows when they may just need it.  I had learnt it all but never really took it seriously.   Burns are such a devastating ordeal and no-one would ever want to go through or see their family go through what we have been through.   Take care everyone and remember in just seconds our lives can change forever.

thanks for this, I think I would have given panadol before reading your article

Thanks for this advice. I just went through the same thing with my son. if only i would have been careful

Can I just butt in on your excellent advice and remind people to cut clothing off burn victims carefully if you have to take it off at all. To take clothes off the normal way could cause irritation to the affected area and increase pain and scarring. This must have been horrendous for you all, thank you for sharing I hope your little one has recovered well. If you wish you could read up on cutting clothing on burns victims and edit it in, it would be really helpfull if a parent came across this article in a panic.

Cheers Winnie.xx

Excellent advice, something all parents should be aware of. What a terrible ordeal, for your daughter, one so young to go through. And knowing first aid & CPR, is always a plus.

Cheers Janice

Great advice,

Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, you need to be so careful with littlies around, Thanks for the reminder