Burn Fund Centre supports trauma victims and their families
HOMETOWN HEROES LOTTERY SUPPORTS THE BCPFF BURN FUND
Stasi Manser was just a child when, in 1969, she woke up early to the sound of her baby sister wanting to have her morning bottle. Rather than wake her mom, Manser decided to prepare the bottle herself and sneak a cup of hot chocolate for herself, too. She pulled a chair closer to the stove to reach the cocoa powder in a cupboard above when her nightgown contacted the flame under the pot. Within seconds, she had sustained severe burns to over 90 per cent of her body.
Initially, doctors believed Manser would not survive. She had to learn to walk again and would go on to endure countless surgeries involving skin grafting and reconstruction over the ensuing 20 years, many of the procedures taking place in health centres in faraway cities.
There was little in the way of services for Manser during those years, so when she was introduced to the BC Professional Fire Fighters Association Burn Fund in 2012, she was overwhelmed by the organization’s support for survivors. Last year, it opened the Burn Fund Centre at 3891 Main Street. It’s a home away from home for anyone from B.C. or the Yukon who needs to travel to Vancouver for emergency medical treatment due to burn and major trauma injuries, as well as patients in discharge transition or returning for follow-up care.
“In my case, the Burn Fund Centre would have made such a huge difference,” Manser says. “I travelled thousands of miles for treatment and was separated from my family a lot of the time over two or three years. Having felt that aloneness my whole life, it’s so close to my heart to be able to share with other people and help them understand that life is okay after a burn trauma.
“Rather than just being a survivor, you become able to thrive again in life,” she says.
More than 800 children and adults are admitted to the burn, trauma and plastics units at VGH and BC Children’s Hospital every year. Patients generally stay at least a month, sometimes longer. Their families need affordable, nearby accommodation so that they can spend time at the hospital with their loved one and be able to reach them quickly if necessary. The Burn Fund Centre addresses this critical need.
In addition to private suites with patios, the bright space has a spacious common kitchen, shared living room with comfy seating and a TV, and conference room that doubles as a comfortable spot for survivors’ yoga and peer-to-peer support groups.
“It’s a place for survivors to be around other people who are going through similar things,” says BCPFFA Burn Fund executive director Lisa Lacamell. “Families share experiences and support each other and realize they’re not alone.”
The centre also acts as the headquarters for the BCPFFA Burn Fund, which runs prevention programs and much more.
B.C. firefighter locals and members have raised $1.3 million toward the centre. However, the need to sustain the centre and the vital services it provides is ongoing, as is the need to purchase crucial equipment.
The Hometown Heroes Lottery supports the BCPFFA Burn Fund, which also runs the annual Burn Camp for young survivors.
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