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Serving to Better-Connect Communities in New Brunswick’s Upper St. John River Valley
Volume 3 Issue 2
CELEBRATING TWO YEARS SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
RIVER VALLEY SUN February 15 to March 15, 2021
FREE ONLINE @ www.rivervalleysun.ca
FAMILY THANKFUL FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Lindsay Harris remains in Moncton hospital after grease fire; has long recovery ahead BY THERESA BLACKBURN
H
artland native Lindsay Harris continues to recover in The Moncton Hospital after sustaining burns from a grease fire at her apartment in Florenceville-Bristol. Harris was cooking a meal, using fat in a pot on her stove on Sunday, Jan. 24. “I was home alone, cooking. I thought I turned off the stove. I don’t know what happened, but after I went into the living room, the apartment became smokey. I was afraid the whole kitchen would catch fire, so I picked up the pot to take it outside. When I opened the door, whoosh, it burst into flames, and it went up in my face,” explained Lindsay during a video-call interview from her hospital bed on Feb. 10. “That’s when I dropped the pot and fell. I slid on my bum into the fat and caught my clothes on fire.” The grease also ignited bags of garbage in the entryway. Trapped, Lindsay crawled back into the apartment to try and get water from the bathroom, but couldn’t reach the taps. “I had no other choice but to crawl back out through the flames. By the time I was outside, I
no longer had anything on below my waist. Everything had burned off.” Crawling to the nearby apartment, she screamed and banged on their door. Neighbours called 911 and got her to roll in the snow before firefighters, an ambulance, and the RCMP arrived. “I was screaming in pain,” recalled Harris. “I really thought I was going to die,” she said, breaking down. Once at the Upper River Valley Hospital, it wasn’t long before doctors had Lindsay sedated and prepared for the Moncton ambulance ride. Her mother, Andrea Harris, followed behind. “When I first went in (to see her), I had to go right back out again. I couldn’t handle it. Seeing her like that was scary. The nurses that night were amazing,” said Andrea. Once admitted to the Moncton burn unit, Lindsay was assessed and began treatment. “Her doctor says she’s improving every day,” explained Andrea, “but they won’t give her any prognosis as to how long she’s going to be here.” “The doctor doesn’t want to get my hopes up or make me upset, so he just gives me things week-
by-week,” added Lindsay. The teen’s burns cover nearly a third of her body. The most severe burns are on her left arm and left leg, as well as her pelvis and buttocks area. “Initially, my face looked really bad, but it’s healed really well,” said Lindsay, explaining that she applies special vitamin E cream to her face multiple times a day. As for further treatments like skin grafting, Andrea said doctors are still waiting to see how Lindsay heals. “They take it day by day, but they should know by late February if she’ll need grafting or not.” Lindsay was allowed to have her first shower since the accident the day before our interview. She has also started to take walks around the hospital wing but admits that moving is still quite painful. “My feet turn purple when I walk. I’m forcing myself to do it because I have to move, but it’s hard,” she admitted. During Lindsay’s first week in the hospital, Andrea stayed with her daughter night and day. “I couldn’t be alone,” explained Lindsay, fighting tears. “She knew that and stayed. I couldn’t have done this without her
Andrea Harris hasn’t left her daughter Lindsay’s side since a kitchen fire burned nearly a third of Lindsay’s body three weeks ago. (Submitted photo)
here,” she said, breaking down again. Andrea admits the first week was difficult. “It was exhausting. Thankfully her dad came up after that first week, and then we took shifts.” Andrea has been able to be with her daughter because of the generosity of so many throughout Carleton County and beyond. “I haven’t worked since this happened, and now her dad is here too, and we’ve had to stay in a hotel, but we haven’t had to pay out of pocket yet,” said Andrea breaking down. “You know that you live in a great community, but you don’t realize how See THANKFUL on page 2
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