On Sunday, August 25, 2002, Thad was burned by a hot cup of tea which I had poured for myself and foolishly left on the living room table. It was Sunday, and the rest of the gang had gone off somewhere after church. So just Thad and I were home. I was preparing to sit down, enjoy a cup of tea, and read the Sunday paper.
Thad was sitting down across the room, at the edge of the wrap-around couch. I'd prepared the tea, and poured it into a large teacup (a beautiful blue University of Michigan cup). I set the tea on the table, then I went back into the kitchen (to get the paper, and perhaps my eye was caught by an article). The next thing I heard was a blood-curdling scream from Thad, and I knew instantly what had happened. I raced around to find Thad, screaming bloody murder, his arm and chest soaked with scalding tea, his skin bubbling and peeling off before my eyes.
I grabbed him, grabbed the phone, and, while dousing him in the sink with water, dialed 911. The operator couldn't hear my words. Between Thad's screams, when he'd catch a quick breath, I'd shout "Burn!" into the phone.
The water was all over as I sprayed, trying to reach every part of his burned skin. Soon I heard the siren, and I raced out with Thad to the street as the ambulance was pulling up. Two guys got out, and I quickly explained as they took Thad, cut off his shirt, and began to treat him. I raced back into the house, scribbled "I'll call" on a note, and tore back out.
I hovered over Thad as we raced north to Cincinnati's Children's Hospital. When we arrived at emergency they wheeled Thad inside. We went right to a room, and they evaluated him, asking questions, peeling aside his bandages to assess his terrible wounds.
Soon they told me that, because they estimated his wounds at 20% of his body or more, they were going to transfer him to the Shriners' Burn Hospital right next door. Not long after Thad was in Shriners, being cared for by an exceptional organization which operates without charging its clients anything for their care. What a miracle it was, to have Shriners right there.
And what a miracle they achieved with Thad. It could have been so much worse. But I assure you that it was bad enough....
Andy Long
Jan 25, 2012