A MUM-of-three has revealed how her nine-month-old daughter was left severely burnt after an horrific accident at daycare.
Addison Starnes, now one, suffered agonising second and third-degree burns covering 20 per cent of her body.
She was hospitalised for more than three weeks and endured three surgeries.
Thankfully, four months on, Addison is recovering well.
Now, her mum, Ariel Starnes, 25, from North Carolina, US, is speaking out to raise awareness.
Ariel says: “Since the accident, I haven’t stopped worrying about why this had to happen to my baby.
“Whenever I’m in the kitchen, handling something hot, I constantly get flashbacks.
“I just can’t imagine the pain she experienced.”
In February this year, Ariel took Addison, her older daughter, four, and son, three, to the daycare where she worked.
As usual, she dropped her older children in their classrooms, before taking Addison to hers.
Ariel says: “I sat Addison down and gave her some toys to play with.
“I told her key worker to give her a bottle of milk when she was ready.”
Ariel walked to her classroom next door and welcomed two of the children that she cared for.
Half an hour later, she heard a piercing scream coming from Addison’s classroom.
Ariel remembers: “It didn’t sound like Addison, so I carried on tending to the children.
“But two minutes later, my co-worker ran in and told me to go to Addison.
“I raced into her classroom. She was lying on the changing table and her clothes had been removed.”
Ariel’s colleagues told her that Addison had pulled the bottle warmer over herself as her key worker was getting ready to give her a feed.
Ariel says: “Half of her body was red raw, and she wouldn’t stop screaming.
“In shock, I picked her up and rushed her to the office. Other parents who saw us as they dropped their kids off looked mortified.”
A member of staff rang an ambulance, while Ariel called her husband, Jake Starnes, 26.
Minutes later, paramedics arrived and administered pain relief.
They then airlifted Addison to the paediatric ICU burn unit at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina.
Ariel remembers: “Addison slept the whole journey. It was so scary.”
At the hospital, doctors examined Addison and gave her more pain relief and oxygen.
They explained to her parents that their daughter had suffered second and third-degree burns to 20 per cent of her body, including her back, right shoulder, right arm, chest, neck and stomach.
Ariel explains: “They told us that she’d need skin graft surgery.
“It felt like I was living in a nightmare.”
That day, Addison underwent debridement surgery, where surgeons cleaned her burns to prevent infection.
Then, they inserted a feeding tube up her nose to help her consume enough nutrients.
Over the next few days, doctors monitored Addison and managed her pain.
The following week, she was taken back into theatre, where medics prepared her wounds for skin graft surgery.
Ariel remembers: “Afterwards, she was in a lot of pain.
“But the next morning, she seemed to be in better spirits and continued to improve every day.”
A week later, Addison underwent an op where donor skin was taken from her upper right thigh and placed onto her chest, right arm and shoulder.
Ariel says: “It took a couple of days for Addison to return to herself.
“But she soon started to smile again and would clap and move around the floor when the rehabilitation team visited her.”
Surgeons were pleased with Addison’s progress and after 22 days in hospital, she was finally discharged.
Ariel remembers: “Addison was so happy to be home and her siblings were excited.
“I was really worried about her falling over or my other kids being too rough with her.
“But all she wanted to do was play and crawl.
“She was so resilient.”
Addison also saw a physical therapist every week, who massaged her scars.
Last month, in June, Ariel and her family celebrated Addison’s first birthday.
Ariel says: “Doctors have told us that her scars are raised, so she is due to start laser therapy soon.
“But, despite everything, she’s doing so well.
“I’m so proud of her.”
There is an ongoing investigation into the incident.
BURNS and scalds are damage to the skin caused by heat.
A burn is caused by dry heat (e.g. an iron or fire), while a scald is caused by something wet (e.g. hot water or steam). Both are treated in the same way.
They can be very painful and may cause redness, peeling skin, swelling, white or charred skin.
To treat a burn, the person should be kept away from the heat source, their skin should be cooled, and any clothing or jewellery near the affected area should be removed.
The patient must also be kept warm, the burn wrapped in clingfilm, and painkillers can be given if needed.
In short, the NHS advises:
COOL
Let the area cool for 20 minutes under cool running water.
CALL
Dial 999, 111 or your GP for advice, depending on the severity of the wound.
COVER
Cover the burn loosely with clingfilm.
Source: NHS
