Hi, you are “face to face with Shell”.
FIRST TIME OUT OF THE BURNS UNIT
You might think of yourself as a totally different person now, who has maybe lost a part of themselves and who maybe feels that their confidence has totally gone.
I know that confidence takes a long time to build up (especially when you have “a new you” to show to the world) and I’m not saying that it is an easy process, it’s not and it is different for everyone.
It has taken me years to get where I am now; remember, I was burned way back in 1984! So don’t feel: “Oh no, I am nowhere near that stage”.
REMEMBER EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT, THIS IS YOUR STORY AND YOUR JOURNEY!
Me in Bangour Burns Unit (1984)
Please click on the link below if you would like to view the first page/video:
WEARING SCARS WITH CONFIDENCE (PART 1)
Please watch the video below and/or read on:
On the last page/video, it kind of led me onto talking a bit in-depth about the first time I went out to a larger town but over the next two pages/videos, I want to take you back to the first time I was allowed out of the Burns Unit and the first time I was allowed home; I want to talk about them in a bit more depth.
So first up, being allowed out of the Burns Unit…this was a BIG deal.
I felt safe in the Burns Unit – everyone was the same as me, one way or another. I would say that my cousin and I were the worst burned at any one time but everyone was there for the same reason. No one looked or stared. It was a safe haven.
I spent four and a half months in Bangour Hospital Burns Unit, therefore, my first “outing” was very strange. I had no idea where I was, what did the outside of this building that I called “home” look like. One of the senior members of the nursing staff said that she would take me out, through the outpatient clinic, just to have a look outside. It was fine, as there were not a lot of people in the clinic. It felt very strange. Even the fresh air on my face felt weird. It was amazing to see the hospital, it was so large. I had no idea. I had only seen the inside of the Burns Unit.
From then on, I was allowed to go out with my visitors for short periods of time; at first in a wheelchair, as I had to learn to walk again and I wasn’t able to walk long distances at this point. It was great to get out. Again, I felt kind of “protected” as there was someone with me and the Burns Unit was part of the larger hospital and no one really stared.
I then got to go on “home leave”. This was great. First of all it was for an afternoon and this steadily built up to overnights and weekends. The hardest part was going back to the Burns Unit.
On the next page/video, I’ll talk more in-depth of the first time I was allowed home.