Enter in...
To the world of burns
Entering the world of burn injuries can be an assault on every system of the body and every sense - sight, smell, sound, touch, taste. Enter in to the initial environment where contractures start to form.
Photos by Dr Junaed Rahman
SAMIR's story
This is Samir.
At the time of this photo he was 15. I met him and his mother in a large burns hospital in a low income country. Samir’s burn injury was caused by a kerosene lamp that fell and caught him on fire while he was studying; his home did not have regular electricity. Samir endured tortuous dressing changes every other day to help his wounds heal and underwent painful, scary, but necessary skin grafting. He lost a significant amount of weight, fought infections, was scared and in pain and did not understand how he would survive.
His mother was always at his side. Imagine the pain of a mother seeing her son’s daily struggle. She cared for Samir relentlessly at huge cost. I did not see Samir again after he was discharged home, but he had already developed contractures of his eyes, ear, shoulders and elbows. In the few seconds it took to get burnt, every aspect of Samir's
Photo by Dr Junaed Rahman
life would change. Would he manage to return to school, find employment, be accepted by society?
Samir's burn injury and subsequent scarring and contractures changed everything for him, it was not certain whether he would have access to any follow up care or later release of his contractures.
Samir’s eyes which showed his fears and hopes, his mum’s dedication – along with many similar faces and stories, make it vital that we stop contractures. The unofficial title of my PhD is Samir’s Story. Without Samir and others like him I would not have had the discipline to start or finish the PhD journey. Samir and his mum inspired me to fight for no more contractures. It may be too late to help Samir, but because of his story others like him could suffer less.
