On Pace
Burn Survivor Who Received Lifesaving Care at Torrance Memorial Gives Back Through Volunteering Dustin Varela achieves certification to support fellow burn survivors through the Phoenix SOAR program and stays connected with his "Torrance Memorial family" through weekly volunteer service. Written by Lisa Buffington
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n September 3, 2015, Dustin Varela of San Pedro was severely burned in a building fire in Harbor City. With burns covering 70% of his body, Varela was taken to Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Burn
16 | Pulse Magazine Spring 2022
Center, where burn surgeon Vimal Murthy, MD, burn and reconstructive plastic surgeon Matthew Reiss, MD, and plastic surgeon John K. McKissock, MD, provided lifesaving—and later, life-enhancing—treatment.
Burn survivor Dustin Varela is flanked by Naiwei Hsu-Chang, RN, and Matthew Reiss, MD.
