From left – burn survivors Shari Kauri, Carol Mayer, Serena Rudd and Karen Jacques.
Photo supplied
Scarred but not scared – brave womenhelp themselves
A Pukekohe grandmother was among a group of women who met recently to share their remarkable life journeys at Castaways Resort at Karioitahi Beach near Waiuku. She was attending a national retreat for women burn survivors and spoke to ANGELA KEMP.
“M
e, my partner and baby girl were driving home when a drink driver hit us head on. They pulled me out of the vehicle when it caught fire and took me to Middlemore Hospital. I was in Intensive Care for 101 days.” These are the words of courageous Serena Rudd who suffered extensive burns to her body and face as well as losing all her fingers in the terrible crash. But her deepest pain is for the loss of her partner and two-year-old daughter who didn’t survive the fireball. It happened nearly 23 years ago in 1997 on the notorious SH22 at Drury, close to the motorway on-ramp. They had been visiting Serena’s partner’s parents in Waiuku for the day and were heading home to Manurewa for the night. Their three other children, aged seven, six and four, had stayed behind with their grandparents. Serena was due to collect them the next day. “I’m lucky I didn’t have all the kids in the car or I could have lost the lot of them,” she says. After spending a year in hospital Serena and her surviving children moved to 6 — Rural Living — April/May 2019
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Pukekohe to be close to her mother and other family members. “I needed care helpers 24/7 and Mum was one of them,” she says. “It was like being a baby and learning how to do everything over again. It was a struggle but I did it for my kids. They’d lost their father and sister and I couldn’t let them lose me.” Tragically Serena lost her youngest son three years ago from a heart attack when he was just 23. But now she’s a grandmother to 12 and looking forward to her 50th birthday this year. She lives in a two-bedroom unit and often has up to eight grandchildren dropping in for a sleepover. “It’s like a marae, I put mattresses down on the floor for them,” she says with a smile. “They do a lot for me, they’re awesome.” Serena was one of 18 women who took part in what was the third annual retreat organised by the Burn Support Group, which is based in Otahuhu. Organiser Michele Henry says the impact the retreat has on the survivors’ lives is amazing. “The first thing they realise is that they are not alone and through sharing their stories they become stronger. It is such a
necessary environment for them to have. There are lots of laughs and lots of tears; there are always tissues on the table. “By the end of the retreat they have developed strong lifelong relationships and built on their self-esteem and confidence.” The group fundraises throughout the year to pay for the retreat and is grateful to its major sponsor PSL Fire and Safety. During this retreat, the women enjoyed pampering sessions, motivational speakers (including TVNZ’s Toni Street) and an update on the latest in burns care from consultant, Jonathon Heather from the National Burns Centre at Middlemore Hospital. Participants came from across the country as well as four survivors from Australia. They included Karen Jacques from Brisbane who is involved with a similar burns charity at home. She was burnt 51 years ago in 1968 at home in Perth. “I was five and had just come home from kindy and went hunting for a lipstick Mum had promised me for my birthday. I climbed up to a cupboard and found matches and took them to the garage and started striking them towards me. www.ruralliving.co.nz
11/04/2019 3:19:58 p.m.