Watch the video of the recovering little girl in the video below.
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Following an apartment fire caused by an unattended candle in another unit, a mother’s six-year-old daughter suffered severe burns that required some fingers and toes to be amputated. Now, the mother issued a call against leaving candles unattended while lit.
The incident happened in December 2018 when a burning candle in the apartment below set alight the sofa, starting a fire that spread to the unit where six-year-old Kenzie was staying. The little girl was so frightened by the fire that she hid in the bedroom and took three minutes for firefighters to discover her.
Unfortunately, she had already suffered burns in 68 percent of her body. She spent four months in the hospital and required several surgeries that included skin grafts and amputation of her left fingers and toes.
Jessica, the girl’s mother, said: “On Sunday, December 16 I received a phone call from Kenzie’s father telling me there had been a fire in the apartment below, caused by an unattended candle.
“After being in the fire for three minutes, Kenzie was rescued by firefighters and rushed to the hospital to treat her burns.
“Obviously, I got to the hospital as quickly as I could and as soon as I walked into the ward I knew how serious this was – she was black from head to toe and evidently in so much pain.
“She was then airlifted to a children’s hospital, and it was here that I found out that she had 68 percent burns on her body and that she would need multiple surgeries.
“This one household decoration has turned my daughter’s whole life upside down – so I want to make the dangers of lighting candles known so that this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s little one.”
Kenzie had to undergo six grueling surgeries all in one month just to remove infections on her skin caused by the severity of her burns.
The 42-year-old former chef continued: “It was only two days after she went to the hospital that Kenzie had her first surgery to help reduce all of the swellings in her body.
“From this point onwards, Kenzie had biweekly surgeries to remove all of the dead skin and replace it with the surviving skin on her thigh, as well as clearing her body from an infection that she had accrued.
“Unfortunately on her third surgery [December 27], Kenzie had to have her beautiful blonde hair removed, as the burns had covered her scalp also.
“But the most devastating news came before her fourth surgery [January 3] where we were told that she would have to have her fingers and toes on the left side of her body removed, as they had completely died.
“This was one of the hardest things for her to understand, as she suddenly woke up and couldn’t figure out where her hands and fingers had gone – which completely broke my heart.”
Kenzie took her first steps sans her left toes in January then was moved to a rehab unit in February. She was finally discharged on March 12.
The brave girl returned to school on April 4 despite having to wear splints and garments 22 hours a day.
Jessica said: “Kenzie is a very brave girl and has made amazing progress since leaving the hospital – we are all so very proud of her.
“One of the sayings that have kept her going is ‘I’m beautiful, I’m strong, I’ve walked through the fire – what’s your superpower?’ and this has been prominent in her journey.
“But despite how well she has done, her life is going to be altered forever – we worry that she’s not going to develop like a normal girl, and her amputations will cause difficulty with everyday tasks.
“As amazing as she is, this situation could have easily been avoided if a candle wasn’t lit in the first place – and that’s what I want people to know.
“Hopefully by seeing what my baby has been through, people will stop leaving candles unattended and see the life-changing effects it can have.”
Kenzie’s family is selling t-shirts as part of a fundraiser to help with her medical expenses and rehabilitation. If you’re interested in helping, you can check out their designs here.