An Oklahoma teenager is slowly recovering after being badly burned from an explosion during a brush fire.
NewsChannel 4 first told you about 15-year-old Dalton Henry in February.
TEENAGER ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER FROM 5TH AND 6TH-DEGREE BURNS
He was originally diagnosed with burns so severe, doctors say they are usually only seen during an autopsy.
When doctors told the Henry family the road to recovery would be long, they didn’t fully understand how long.
They are frustrated and just want things to go back to normal, but haven’t forgotten his progress so far is a miracle.
Dalton’s mom, Carrie Henry says, “Sometimes they say two weeks, three weeks and it turns into months.”
The Henry’s are calling it a journey to recovery. It’s long and has forks and bumps in the road.
The surgeries aren’t over yet, making the journey feel never-ending.
“I do my best not to cry every time I look at him,” says Henry. “It just about kills me that he got burnt that bad.”
Dalton says he doesn’t remember much about that day.
He was helping his older cousin burn brush when he had been told several times to leave the gas can alone but didn’t listen.
His cousin says he only turned his back for one second.
Carrie Henry says, “We were in the kitchen cooking and I seen the explosion from the window. I just prayed to God that it wouldn’t be bad and it was.”
Carrie Henry calls it a lesson learned, one that has changed his life.
“I wish he would have just listened and not picked up that gas can,” says Henry. “It’s a very, very hard lesson for him, a very hard lesson.”
She’s quit her job to stay home with him. Through taking him to all of the hospital visits and physical therapy appointments, she’s learned how much a fighter her son is.
“I said you fought. You fought hard,” says Henry. “You know, you’re a strong boy. Never once did he cry.”
Despite his injuries, Dalton’s been able to fish and go swimming this summer. As he continues to heal, he even finds little reasons to smile.
“He’ll never be 100% back where he was, no. But even if it’s halfway or 75% back, that would be just awesome,” says Carrie Henry.
A possible mishandling of skin grafts at a Dallas hospital has left Dalton without two of his fingers. The family is looking for legal advice in dealing with that.
To help offset medical costs, the family has established a fundraising website.
Click here for more information.
