Posted on 08/09/2002 7:25:13 PM PDT by PoisedWoman
Toddler takes small steps to recovery
By Gina Kim Seattle Times staff reporter
With her grandfather's support, 19-month-old Emily Woodrow took several wobbly steps yesterday.
They were some of her first, relearned steps since a May 1 fire in her Ballard home scorched 75 percent of her small body. Before she was burned, Emily had almost been able to run, said her 19-year-old mother, Michelle Woodrow.
The blaze charred every part of Emily's body except the area covered by her diaper, the soles of her feet and part of her head. She was given a 25 percent chance of survival and her condition was so critical that, at one point, her grandfather picked up an organ-donor packet.
But three months and nine operations later — including several artificial skin grafts — Emily sat yesterday in a toy car in the playroom of the burn-patient unit at Harborview Medical Center, using the hard casts on her arms to honk the horn. Bandages, splints and casts cover nearly every inch of her body except for an opening revealing bright blue eyes and a mouth that frequently forms a smile. And she's no longer being fed through a tube.
"It's been 14 weeks of hell so far, but it's getting better," said her grandfather Rick Woodrow, 52. "As she gets better, it's been easier."
In two weeks, Emily will be moved to Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, where she will continue therapy to learn how to walk and talk again, said Dr. David Heimbach, director of the University of Washington burn center at Harborview.
"Deep in my heart I knew she was going to survive," said Heimbach. "And we just did everything right and she's a tough little kid."
With a lot of work, Emily will be like a normal child in a year, said Heimbach. But she will have to do exercises the rest of her life to keep her joints mobile.
"When you're burned, your scar tissue wants to contract and then your joints can't extend all the way," he explained.
Heimbach said Emily will probably have to undergo at least two more surgeries to minimize scar tissue. Although her wounds are still red and raw, Heimbach said they'll fade with time.
"It'll be noticeable, but it certainly won't be ugly," he said.
Emily has three hours of therapy a day, which mostly entails moving her arms and legs and stretching her joints, said physical therapist Kristie Bombaro. It takes another hour just to change all her bandages, said charge nurse Carolyn Viau.
Emily's mother and grandfather, who now live in a Lake City apartment, make daily visits to the hospital to play with the toddler.
"There have been days when it's really hard. I just don't want to get out of bed," said Michelle Woodrow. "But if she can get through this, I can definitely get through this."
Michelle Woodrow was 17 when she had Emily, who was born a month early. Woodrow had dropped out of Lynnwood High School two years earlier and worked as a receptionist at a hair salon. Emily's father isn't around much, she said, and now Woodrow is 4 months pregnant with their second child.
But, with the help of her own father, being a mother is what Woodrow likes best.
"I think this is the one thing I'm good at," she said. "I made quite a few mistakes. But then Emily came and kicked me into gear."
Rick Woodrow, who supports his daughter and granddaughter with his tow-truck driver salary, continues to be haunted by the fire, which according to the Seattle Fire Department was sparked by a candle. Every night, he wakes up like clockwork at 2 a.m., the same time the fire broke out. "I was in my room working on the computer," he recalled. "Then I heard Michelle screaming, 'My baby's on fire! My baby's on fire!' "
Rick Woodrow ran into Emily's room and pulled her from the blaze.
"I'll never forget that sight, ever," he said. "Just seeing someone you love surrounded by flames."
Gina Kim can be reached at 206-464-276 or gkim@seattletimes.com.
Bump!
Well, apparently he's around often enough...
Father in heaven, protect these children from idiots, and keep Grandpa well.
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