JAYDENÉ’S PROGRESS

The little girl is still in pain and wrapped in bandages but she’s not as listless as she was in the days immediately after the accident, her mom Jackie says.

“It was terrible,” she says. “Ricardo and I knew there was a chance we could lose her.”

Jaydené has had skin grafts to her chest, stomach and thigh. Jackie says doctors were worried the skin on her chest could become septic but she’s out of danger now.

The biggest worry is that the infection in her lungs, which developed soon after the incident, will return.

“The infection is a result of the burn wounds being so deep,” Jackie explains. “Shortly after the accident her body went into shock which doctors say worsened the infection.”

Jaydené will have a skin graft to her neck within the next few weeks – hopefully her last, depending on her recovery process.

“We’re trying to explain to her that everything will be okay, and that she’s just as pretty a princess as before (RIGHT), even though she’ll have scars on her body.

“After all these weeks in hospital she’s incredibly scared of doctors. She cries terribly every time we walk past a doctor or enter a doctor’s office. We try calming her down by offering a snack and telling her it’ll be over soon.”

Jackie is grateful for Anice’s advice and hopes Jaydené will wear her scars with pride one day. “They’ll always be a symbol of her inner strength,” she says.