| Updated: 1/30 9:16 am |
Published: 1/29 8:01 pm
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An 8-year old burn victim is finally getting the chance to be a kid again. Ty Springer was badly burned by a wall heater on Christmas Eve. He has spent the past month at the Shriner’s Hospital in Galveston, Texas.
On Sunday, a homecoming party was held at Incredible Pizza. It was a welcome home party and a chance at a normal life once again.
It’s a day many thought would never come, after his body caught on fire when he leaned against a wall heater on Christmas Eve. The 8-year-old was getting ready to open gifts with his family, when his body caught fire. Racing to his mother, she frantically tried putting out the flames with her hands.
"I think that was the scariest moment of my life really, and I took him and tried to roll him on the floor. I was patting him down and doing whatever I could,” says Ty’s mom Summer Wickham.
Watching her son burn and feeling helpless, the family called 911. His injuries were so bad; Ty was flown to the Shriner’s Hospital in Galveston.
“He had deep third degree burns and deep second degree burns, and they have replaced his skin with the skin from his head, legs and butt,” she says.
36 days later, he’s playing air hockey with friends.
“We're just thankful that he is here and we're glad he's getting better. He seems like he's a little more energetic today, and we're just glad to have the family and we're glad he's here,” says Incredible Pizza managing partner, Brad Edwards.
Ty’s family says he still has a long road ahead of him. He is currently on pain, itch and anxiety medication, and his mother says taking a bath is extremely painful.
“Right now, he has to be very careful because he is still kind of open,” she says.
For now, a go-cart ride and a game of putt-putt mask the pain of his Christmas Eve tragedy. His scars are hidden beneath his clothes, and he says he is just happy to forget what happened and to be a kid again.
Ty will have to go back to the Shriner’s Hospital in Galveston in the next two weeks. The doctors will be checking the condition of his skin grafts, and to see how well he is healing.
If you would like to donate to help Ty and his family, an account has been set up at the American Bank and Trust under the name Ty Springer.
