the burntguy blog

there's birthday or born day & then there's burn day

9/27/2021

by James January

This past July I did an interview on a podcast called Crash Victim Life Survivor which is hosted by Athanasia Houvarda. Her podcast deals primarily with driving & road safety. I highly recommend all the episodes.
Given that some of us got drafted into the burn world while driving, or while in a vehicle, there are a number of burn survivor interviews.

My interview with Athanasia this year, or this season, was lucky #13.

With today being my burnday (what we burn survivors refer to in a rebirthing take on life...I'm 30 years burned as of today, but who's counting), I thought what better time to revisit that interview back in July.
A few of y'all have asked a question or two about me, my history...how I got burned. Questions I may have answered or, just as likely, may have taken off on a trail of answers to questions of my own choosing, related or not to the original ones asked.

Athanasia, who I met many years ago at World Burn Congress (an annual "family reunion" type of event sponsored by The Phoenix Society) & who I call a friend had similar issues where I'd go my own way. She was nice enough to send me the raw audio when we finished day one, after deciding we needed another day...a take 2.
On that day I was able to stay focused...or Athanasia was a better wrangler of me & my thoughts. The raw stuff I'll keep for myself for now, but she got me to where I sound pretty good clocking in at just under 38 minutes.

Take a listen.

If you're able to do so, send support my way &/or her way so we can keep doing what we do...either way, thanks for reading...& listening.

if tapping the above doesn't let you listen, try one of these links...
Apple Podcast
James January, Podcast #13, hosed by Athanasia Houvarda
Buzzsprout episode download

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Mask Up

10/22/2020

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Mask Up

Keep your distance.
Go outside.
Stay inside.
Stay closed.
Open up.
Mask up.

2020 in a nutshell.

   It is the current state of affairs. Some come at it all from a healthcare angle. Some come at it all from an economic angle. Many seek the proper balance for safety and for a cure that does not do more damage than the disease.
   Full disclosure; My instinct is one that always emanates from the thought that “I am a grown a** man, best recognize the difference between advise and command & best exercise the former…”.
   It is the way.
   Alas, exploration of my way in this writing would take me down a personal, and some would argue political, path I don’t wish to walk at this moment in this setting. This is a non profit blog here at BurnSurvivor.org and we pride ourselves on staying within the borders of the “burn business”.
   (Hit me up on my personal line if you want an education on other stuff.)

   Stay on mission burnt guy.

   Mask up. At some point, if you want to go to someone’s house or into someone’s business, you will have two choices. Mask up or do not enter. At some point you’re gonna have to mask up. You will have to wear the over the ear green or blue thing.
Or will you?

Not me. I won’t. Because I can’t. I do not have ears, or ears remaining that will allow such. The mask thing has been a pain when going to the hospital, and unfortunately I’ve had to go a lot to prep for a major foot surgery coming up (shout out to me wearing an Ilizarov with style come Halloween…hope the technology has come a long way since my last one circa 1995).
I don’t do the bandana, so most times I wore a motorcycle sleeve. Many times I’ve had to explain how the mask being offered was of no use and would not be worn as I showed off my burn enhanced ear to drive home the point that an ear lobe mask was useless (strangely, they rarely had the surgeon type masks that tie around the head).

   Then my friend (who is the exact opposite of me in mask wearing enthusiasm) asked me to collaborate with her to get someone she deals with on the mask front to help us create something that would “change my ways” and get me to always wear a mask…uh, no…correct that dude…I should say, help hook me up with a mask that worked for a guy like me when a mask has to be worn…much better…do not let on that any woman changed you in any way.

We came up with strap option that allows one’s mask to go across the head to hold as opposed to a need for ears. Cool bonus, one with limited mobility in their arms or hands can slip it on easy enough. And there’s more - we think the angles are the same as if it were on your ear.
My anecdotal studies show that even ear people prefer this type mask. My study consists of 20 out of 20 approval (a guy working the MRI machine, a gal working the X-ray machine, a few doctors and nurses who thought it was cool…a few friends…my friend & my own family approval, regardless of ear design…&…well…not even the pollsters can be so accurate these days).

The design, sizes, and fabric options - already there. The way the fabric is sewn to keep the mask aligned proper - check. Removable nose wire so ya don’t ruin your cool mask in the wash - check. Place to insert filter so you feel extra safe and can show to powers that be if they try to tell u it ain’t up to code - heck yeah. The softest ear straps out there with just the right amount of stretch for the most sensitive normal ear - yep.
Our effort added a unique head strap that angles just right cooperating with the ear loops.
And…
The most important piece of the greatest mask adaptation ever…an owner that will work with you until you are satisfied.

Stacie, the woman behind the business, remarked “thank you both again for allowing me the opportunity to do this and being patient with me working on it”. No Stacie, Thank You.
Show some love and support LynnyLuDesigns’ shop on Etsy & get you a mask that is so hot it is cool.
Go to LynnyLuDesigns.com and check out what she’s got.
Use code THANKYOU10 and get 10% off for ordering from this recommendation.
If you want the strap, or some other modification, message her after order or note at checkout.

(Nothing was gained or given to us other than the enjoyment working on this mask project & passing our thoughts on to you.)

AND…if you like what BurnSurvivor.org is about & can do so;
go to our FaceBook page & hit that donate button
and/or give via PayPal
and/or make “BurnSurvivor Org” your charity of choice on Amazon Smile
(nothing changes on your end, but the big A will give based off what you’re already gonna do)
…THANKS

FaceBook

PayPal

Amazon Smile

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Mnemonic Me, Mnemonic You…Or Is It An Acronym?!? wt...wth (this is a family based article)

4/8/2020

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  March 17th, 2015. That was the last time I had been up. Life and other things got in the way, mainly foot issues. Then, finally, in spite of foot issues, I was up again on March 16th, 2020.

   It had been almost 5 years to the date, had been 5 years if you consider 2020 was a leap year. Of course I did not go up on my own. As great and awesome as I am, even I have to follow the rules sometimes. I had to go up with a flight instructor to begin 1 of what was to be a handful of flights to get current again.
   If you haven’t figured it out yet, I'm a private pilot. You never lose your pilot license once you have it, unless you get caught doing something really stupid like drinking and flying or running drugs for the cartel. But you do have be current before you can go up on your own or with passengers. Let’s just say not flying for 5 years means you are not current. So there I was in the plane flying. Then this virus stuff shut me down before flight 2.
   My self imposed house arrest gives me time to work on my IFR studies. VFR is visual, which my currency is all about. IFR, the next level which I am working toward, is instrument…it means you can fly thru the clouds. So here I am waiting to go flying again so a flight instructor can sign me off to get in the sky on my own. Here I am exercising great restraint for I am a free spirit, anti-authority “big daddy government doesn’t tell me” kind of guy. Here I am hitting the books, and it was while hitting the books I came across a few acronyms (which the FAA loves) and a few mnemonics (which the FAA loves). Both are memory techniques or words that mean other things so you can recall information through the use of such.
   …and that leads me to the purpose of this writing.
   I decided to use the words burn survivor, fire and smoke. I hope you like. I hope you come up with some of your own to share or share ones you have come across. While I am sure much is my own spark, some of my writings below were sparked by others I have heard or read, and like all great survivalists, I have stolen that spark and used it to make a fire that warms me.

Be a BURN SURVIVOR.
Understand the road ahead.
Realize you’re not alone.
Never give up.
Stay positive.
Use resources.
Research how others deal.
Value your own life experience.
Implement a plan.
Verify what you’re doing is good for you.
Offer help when you can help.
Remember to live.

Be a BURN SURVIVOR.
Understand the road ahead.
   Keep it real. It is not going to be easy. Depending on your burns, there will be limitations. I can not point my feet and do ballet with my girls. Not that I’m saying I would if I could, but it irritates me that I can’t make that choice. It is not going to be as hard as you can imagine. There will be ups and downs. There are ups and downs in any life, burned or not.
Realize you’re not alone.
   While no one has walked in your shoes and will never know exactly what you are going through, realize that there are many who are traveling a similar path. There are groups of burn survivors from all walks of life, all stages of recovery, with a variety of opinions on how to deal.
Never give up.
   A firefighter buddy once shared a saying which applies to any one any time they feel their life is not worth living. “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” My take on rock bottom is a bit more raw. “If you ain’t gonna take yourself out, you might as well play the hand you’re dealt and surprise the fu…surprise the heck out of others.” Your life does have meaning, no matter the condition. Trust me when I say this, “you are an inspiration”. You might not know so because it may be someone in your circle who never told you or it might be some stranger you never knew who saw you at the right moment when they needed some type of encouragement and you were the motivating force. Isn’t that a beautiful thing.
Stay positive.
   Sorry, you can’t just be burned. You got to be burned in addition to all the other things life brings your way. Embrace the bad moments you will experience, the bad moments everyone experiences. Learn from them. Know that those moments help define the good by contrast.
Use resources.
   There are many resources for you to tap into. This is where the internet is a beautiful thing. There are many organizations, camps, retreats, and other gatherings where burn survivors (online or face to face) share their thoughts and ideas.
Research how others deal.
   Seek out wisdom. We are not alike. We come from different backgrounds with different ideas on how to deal with things. Steal a little of this and a little of that and build your own way of dealing.
Value your own life experience.
   No one knows you as good as you. It can be your way or the highway as long as you recognize others have their own highway and as long as you are open to redirection and expansion, or destruction and rebuild, if needed.
Implement a plan.
   At some point we must all act. We must all live. We must move forward. Be willing to adapt and improve on your life plan as time brings new things to light.
Verify what you’re doing is good for you.
   Take time to evaluate where you are and where you want to be. If all is well, stay on course. If need be, explore possible changes in direction, pick one and see where that gets you. It is called growth.
Offer help when you can help.
   You have something to offer. Helping others is covert therapy. Every little bit can help as long as you know you are ready. There are ways of getting your toes wet if you don’t know if you are prepared. If you break down during a lecture about burns in front of a class of nurses, OT or PT students, it will add to the program. If you break down during a burn camp, it will not be helpful to the young burn survivors you are there to help. You can have your own baggage, but you need to know when to leave yours at home so it can be unpacked another time.
Remember to live.
   Live your life. It wasn’t perfect before you were burned and it will not be perfect going forward. Own it and own the road ahead with all its perfect imperfections. Those roads are the best roads.

Be like FIRE and SMOKE.

Forge ahead like FIRE.
Impose your will.
Rise to any challenge in your life.
Every experience, good or bad, has value.

and

SMOKE out the best way.
Make a difference.
Observe others.
Kill negativity.
Evaluate how to improve.

...thsnk you for your time...comments welcome...

Want us to share your story? Want us to share something you have to say?
Send it to us.
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A thankyou long over due.

9/18/2017

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by James January

Thankyou Crown Honda of Southpoint in Durham.

About a month ago I visited with Scott W. and accepted a generous contribution from him and his group at Crown Honda of Southpoint in support of all the work BurnSurvivor.org does.

Charitable donations like this help us maintain our monthly goal of feeding the families at the Chapel Hill Ronald McDonald House. We cook out every time and trust me when I say we know how to fire up a grill and get food done right. It's something our Triangle Burn Support Group has been doing for over a decade because at times families housed there have had children treated at the UNC Hospital's North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center (my burn center Alma Mater).

These generous donations help us continue to be involved in other areas as well. Included among the whenever-wherever-however's are lectures to care givers, programs that prevent burns & assist with motivating burn survivors, work with family & friends as well as first responders, burn camps, and gathering at the annual World Burn Congress where you can measure your thoughts alongside hundreds of other views and opinions shared by burn survivors and those connected to the issue in one way or another. Support from businesses & individuals helps us maintain & grow our footprint in the "non medical side of the burn business".

This isn't the first time. Crown Honda of Southpoint has given annually for years...and they aren't just about the dollar dollar bill y'all. In addition to giving money, they've sent volunteers to flip burgers & dogs for the families on many of those CH RMH cookouts as well.

Like I said, a thankyou long over due.

My girls tagged along and got to sit in a Danica Patrick race car they have on site. I have to admit that it was pretty cool to hear my girls talking cars and racing.

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In Her Own Words...Gina Trombino, Burn Survivor

8/4/2017

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This is one of our "In their Own Words" postings...as part of an every now and then series within our blog, we like to present the work of others. It is raw & unedited. What is presented is as it was delivered to us - writings & pictures & all. If there is a website, email or other social media link included, it was done so with the permission of the author for readers to connect if they feel like doing so.

Feel free to email us your "own words" if you have something to share from the perspective of a Burn Survivor, Family & Friends, Firefighter, Burn Care Provider, etc. that may benefit any of our readers.

Gina Trombino

My Story
June 8, 2017
                Do you ever wish you could take an action back? Un-Do something from the past? Un-say words you spoke? This is my story of an action I did that will affect me for the rest of my life. I accidentally set myself on Fire. My flesh was burning for close to 3 minutes if not longer before the flames died. When the fire finally died out, at that exact moment a piece of me burned away with my flesh. I felt stupid, helpless, confused and primarily scared. Scared for my life. The un-known of what was to come next drew so much emotion from me, I was truly lost. I didn’t know how to cope. Not to mention the most excruciating pain I have ever felt and will never be able to explain. Every heartbeat, every pulse of blood coursing thru my burnt flesh burned and even bigger hole in my reality, I knew I would never be the same.
                It started on a good day, I left visiting my 90 year old grandmother. Driving away from her house I hit a point in the road where if I went left….I would sit in over 2 hours of traffic to get home, If I went right I could go visit a childhood friend that I had not seen a quite a while. The choice was easy to me, I went right. Arriving at my friend’s house and being greeted with familiar, loving faces was an instant joy to me. We started catching up, talking, and listening to old songs that reminded us of memories. Then we started drinking beers and telling old stories. She has 4 kids and I have an aunt like bond them. I was playing baseball with her oldest son and teaching him how to bat and throw e.c.t… Her son liked a metal bat that I had in my car and asked if he could have it. I had no problem with giving him the bat, only problem was the bat was covered in graffiti, swear words. So I told him he could have the bat only after we spray painted the graffiti off of it. Later in the evening we were sitting outside and he came out with 2 cans that both had black caps on them. I automatically assumed it was spray paint… I held the bat in between my legs while he sprayed the bat. The excess spray was going all over my pants. After about a minute I noticed the graffiti was not going away with what he was spraying on the bat. I told him “Dude, I don’t think this is paint.” He replied with “OK Tia I’ll go to the garage and look for paint.” He took off to the garage and I was sitting there, I lit a smoke since he wasn’t around and an ember ash from my smoke hit my leg. All of a sudden, WHOOOOMMB! I went up in flames from my knees to my V! My first reaction other than shock was to stop, drop and roll. So naturally I did, well….It didn’t work. The chemicals on my pants were flammable and the S, D and R didn’t work. Frantically trying to figure out how to put the flames out I saw a patch of grass in her backyard and I ran to it, hoping the grass was damp with water and would put the fire out. I did the stop, drop and roll on the damp grass, same outcome. I am still on fire now sustaining burns to my hands trying to pry my pants off of me. Just then her son came out and dropped what he had in his hands. I am in shock about to pass out from the pain. I yelled at him to open the pool gate that had a fence and a lock on it. I couldn’t get the fence open. He ran over an unlocked the gate. I am losing consciousness, falling to the ground and giving up and in to the pain. Just then I heard words that I still hear in my night terrors, “Tia, THE GATE IS OPEN!” He yelled to me. My strength, my soul, my, ME! I wanted to survive. I was able to find it in me to get up, and run and JUMP as far as I could into that pool….Instantly, the numb sank in. The relief I felt when my body hit the water I will never be able to describe it. As I stand on the steps of the pool I look down at my body to see my pants burnt away, smoke steam still coming off of my legs. That day I had underwear, board shorts and a thick pair of black pants on, the fire burnt thru all 3 layers of my clothes and my legs were charred black and smelt of burnt flesh. Even if I tried, I could not describe the smell. I told him to go get his grandmother from her room. When she came down and saw me shaking in shock standing in the pool I looked at her scared and asked, “Is it bad?” Tears flowing down my face she replied with “YES” I managed to get my pants off and get to the front room where I was sitting on the floor with a towel covering me. Then the pain came. I had her son running back and forth from the kitchen with a bucket dumping cold water on my legs which only dulled the pain momentarily. We discussed going to the hospital and his grandmother offered to drive me there. As she was putting her shoes on I said let’s just call 911. Waiting for the fire department to arrive felt like forever. The pain was getting worse. I was screaming at him to keep bring buckets of cold water to dump on me. When the fire department finally arrived, they had special blankets that were covered in an ointment that alleviated the burn pain.   I asked the firefighter what I should do, I said take me to the closest hospital. He replied with the severity of my injury required me to go to a special burn unit. There are only 2 in California, 1 in Santa Clara and the other being in the L.A area. He said he could take me to the closest hospital but they would only transfer me to one of these clinics and the best course of action was the ambulance to take me straight to the Santa Clara Burn unit. I had no other option so I agreed. They loaded me up into the ambulance and I was preparing for at least an hour of transport before I arrive at the burn unit. The memories I have of the ambulance ride are vague, I only remember the blankets they put on my lap not working after a certain time, getting an IV inserted into my arm with fluids, and pain medicine. I kept asking, screaming for more medication for the pain was unbearable and mostly the only thing I remembered. I had maxed out on the amount the paramedic could give me before getting to the hospital. Crying, shaking, being scared, haven’t even called my mother yet…When I finally got to the hospital, I remember getting onto the ER table, seeing the doctor who saved my life and the nurses cutting off all my clothes. I kept yelling “I need to call my mom!” I was petrified of my injury and I wanted my family to know about this before the doctors put me under into an induced coma to prevent my body from further shock. I remember talking to my mom on the phone crying to her saying “Its really bad mom, I’m scared.” I believe I gave the phone to the nurse who informed my mother of the severances of my injury. After that…. I don’t remember a lot

feel free to contat Gina Trombino directly at g.bino86@gmail.com

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