Scarred for life doing housework
Adriana Lima, 39, had her world turned upside down as she cleaned
Spraying the couch with the special product, I smiled up at my hubby. ‘I think we’re almost done here,’ I said.
It was July 2017, and David, then 34, and I ran a cleaning business doing other people’s housework.
And, today, we were waterproo ng a client’s couch with a solution that would make it completely spill-proof.
As a busy mum to two beautiful boys, Eduardo, then 12, and João Miguel, two, I knew how hard it was to keep our couch clean.
‘Let’s nish off the last coating on the armrests,’ I said to David, giving it another spritz.
Just then, out of nowhere, I was blasted by an overwhelming wall of heat.
A red-hot reball had ripped towards me from the kitchen and I was knocked right off my feet.
Our client, a young woman, had turned on the stove and the fumes from the ammable water-proofer had ignited.
Standing close to the door to the kitchen, I took the brunt and was engulfed in
ames – the skin on my hands sizzled, melting instantly.
Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, so I felt no pain.
Petri ed, I couldn’t even see my beloved husband through the plumes of thick, black acrid smoke.
‘David!’
I screamed.
‘I’m ne, Adri! Are you okay?’ he choked out as I nally caught sight of him.
Luckily, he and the client had been out of the line of the ferocious reball and had only minor injuries.
But, seeing me, a look of horror washed over David’s face and he screamed.
It must be much worse than I think, I thought to myself in fright.
David rushed over and, using his hands, patted down the ames that were still licking my body.
‘Come on, let’s get out of here,’ David said.
Then, he took my arm and led the owner and me out of the now burning apartment.
Reaching the front door, we nally stumbled out into the fresh air.
Struggling to breathe from the black smoke already in my lungs, the terrible pain now hit me and then my world went black.
Coming to, I found myself lying in a bed, machines beeping and wires snaking from my body.
‘Where am I?’ I croaked. ‘Adri!’ I heard my brother, Robertty, 28, exclaim.
‘What are you doing here?’ I whimpered.
Robertty lived 800
kilometres away...
‘You’re in intensive care,’ he replied, gently. ‘You had a terrible accident.’
I’d suffered third-degree burns to 63 per cent of my body, including my hands, face, legs and arms.
In hospital, I’d had to be resuscitated four times after going into cardiac arrests.
My kidneys had shut down and my heart had swollen due to uid on my lungs.
It was a miracle I’d lived. ‘You’ve been in a coma for 24 days,’ Robertty added.
I was utterly confused, thinking I’d only been asleep for a few hours, not over three weeks.
‘Where are my boys?’ I asked over and over again, distraught.
My brother assured me they were ne but I was in so much shock, I had to be sedated to calm me down.
Thankfully, I wasn’t in pain, though.
When David arrived, he assured me everything would be okay.
‘You’ll be home with the boys again soon,’ he gently soothed.
And when we video-called them later, it was so beautiful to hear their voices.
‘I love you Mum,’ Eduardo told me.
Due to the severity of my injuries, I had to have multiple skin scrapes and grafts to remove and replace my burnt skin.
I was kept in almost constant isolation to avoid infection. But I could see David and my boys.
The rst time the kids came to visit, Eduardo was calm as he already knew what to expect.
But little João Miguel was a bit scared when he got on my bed for a cuddle.
He soon got used to things, though.
It was by far the toughest time of my life as I re-learned how to walk, eat and drink with my damaged skin.
Almost 40 days after my accident, I saw myself in the mirror for the rst time. What has happened to my beautiful skin? I thought, bursting into tears.
It was heartbreaking to see my body covered in burnt and blistered esh from head to toe.
I’d been scarred for life by doing housework.
Worried about how people would see me now, I was also scared that even David and the boys wouldn’t accept me.
Spiralling into depression, I wanted to stay in a dark room and never come out.
Each day was still a battle, but my will to be home with my boys again helped me get through the painful physiotherapy.
And slowly, I began to come to terms with what had happened.
I’m alive. And my family love me no matter what,
I thought, gratefully.
Nearly three months after the terrible accident, I was allowed home.
Now, more than three years on, I’ve learned to love my body.
David is incredibly supportive and my kids tell me they love me all the time.
And we still run our cleaning business together.
To help other burn victims, I shared photos of myself on Instagram.
You’re an inspiration! people wrote to me.
Embracing my scars,
I’ve decided not to get plastic surgery.
I’m beautiful as I am.
I’m a survivor, and nothing will wipe the smile off my face! ●
My will to be home with my boys helped me battle through