Hi, you are “face to face with Shell”.
FIRST TIME I WAS ALLOWED HOME
One of the times I was allowed home (1984)
Please have a look at the video below and/or read on:
After months in the Burns Unit of Bangour Hospital, I got my first visit home.
It was just for the afternoon but it was amazing. I got to go home, even if it was just for a little while.
These visits did increase through time though. The only hard part was going back to the Burns Unit; especially if it was a weekend “pass”, as I had spent a longer time at home. As the time grew closer for me to go back to the hospital, my heart would sink. I remember getting to sit in the front seat of the car and my dad would sing to me all the way back to the hospital.
The first time I was allowed home, the newspapers had reported that there was no “homecoming party” for me but later my friends told me that they wanted to have a party but my parents had thought that it would be better just to let me come home without a fuss. In hindsight, I am glad that they advised this, it may have been too much for me. A party may have been good as well though, lol.
The first time I appeared in the media, supported by mum and dad (1984)
I felt ok going out in my home village. It was quite a small village at the time and everyone knew what had happened to me, which made it a whole lot easier going out.
I remember having my first walk outside with my dad; just to the bottom of the street to where the main shops were. I passed a group of my friends who shouted over: “Hello”. It was great; the first time I had seen my friends outside of the hospital.
The doorbell rang later that afternoon and my mum was greeted by the same group of friends I had seen earlier on. My mum invited them in but they said that there were too many of them. I went to the door and they had a box of chocolates for me. I was over the moon. The majority of them were boys and for thirteen/fourteen year olds to come to the door as they did, I think was pretty amazing. It showed me their awesome character. We chatted for a while. It was great seeing them and I so appreciated them coming to see me, it really meant the world to me.
I’ll never forget that first time home. It was amazing. I had to get used to a new home though. My parents had moved into my gran’s house (my gran who had died in the explosion). This was all done while I was in hospital, not long after the “accident”. It felt a bit weird; going back to gran’s house and her not being there.
I also had to re-start my life again at home. It was a totally new room and although my parents had completely redecorated it, it didn’t feel like mine. Where was all my old stuff?
It was time for the change, I had to start living my life as a new me and I suppose, what better way to do it than in a different house, it still felt strange though. I had to start rebuilding my life without the things that felt comfortable to me. My mum loved a good clear out, what better way when I wasn’t there…lol.
Once I was discharged from the Burns Unit, it was weird starting my new life, with new scars, living in a new house. Everything was different…in every sense.
Please click on the links below to view the other pages/videos in this series:
WEARING SCARS WITH CONFIDENCE (PART 1)
WEARING SCARS WITH CONFIDENCE (PART 2)