Burn victim hurt in the Maui fires speaks out about healing and recovery
By Cynthia Yip
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HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that swept through Maui, a burn victim is sharing her experience and insights into the recovery process. Judy McCorkle also has warnings for others who are in fire zones.
After being in the burn unit at Straub Medical Centers for 19 days, Judy McCorkle is on her way home to Kula, Maui.
“My injury, the injuries at the bottom of my the bottom of both feet are were completely burned,” says McCorkle. “And then the sand came up over the feet. So there are blisters on the top of my feet and all of my toes were so they’ve been very, very careful here at the burn unit to make sure and keep the toes separated so that the process of the process of burn healing is really not pretty.”
McCorkle got second degree burn injuries after falling into a hotspot on her Kula home property. She and her husband Tom evacuated their home on August 9 and returned the next day, which survived the Upcountry wildfires. Then on August 11, McCorkle says she was walking around her property when she fell into a hotspot.
Judy McCorkle, Straub Burn Unit Patient says “Hotspots are really, really dangerous. It’s not just the fire in the thing that happens during the fire. But most many of the people who are here in this burn unit and many of the people on Maui who had been injured have been injured after the fire by going into places that were burning. What happens is the fire continues to burn in the root system underneath the ground.”
Because of injuries from the Maui wildfires, this is the most patients ever admitted to the Burn Unit from one event. The burns on the nine patients admitted range from 10 to 70 percent of their total body and from second to third degree burns. All are adults.
From surgeries to therapies, their stories like McCorkle’s underscore the resilience needed to rebuild lives after a catastrophic disaster.
Amy Chong, RN, Straub Burn Unit coordinator says, “And she had to endure a lot of dressings, a lot of pain, including her rehab. I mean, she had to learn to you know, to walk again and the entire time just in good spirits super positive.”
Judy McCorkle saw the need in the Burn Unit for more equipment . So, she immediately put together a program so that everybody wanted to know what they could do and how they could help. So she created a fun way for friends donate to the Straub Burn Unit, she sent out messages to friends saying “no flowers, no candy, just send money for the Unit caregivers and patients. So far, $77,500 has been raised over 19 days. So we had the the nurses put together a list of items that they need for the burn unit. This Burn Unit is the only burn unit in the Pacific area. So they need alot.
McCorkle and her husband are heading back to their Kula home and dog Winston. A The poignant reminder of the need to uplift one another in times of need.
Donations in honor of Judy or in support of all Maui patients and the Straub Burn Unit can be directed to the Straub Foundation.
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