Nov. 05--Tristan Worley was standing around a bonfire trying to warm up on a chilly October night. The 6-year-old had just come out of the house, run up to his mom and given her a hug. Then it was over to the fire to stand beside his uncle Andrew Worley.
Andrew heard a hiss from the fire. Tristan saw red coming toward him. He instinctively threw up his little hands to cover his face.
Andrew said an arch of fire shot from the flames and went straight toward Tristan.
"I tried to move quickly," Tristan said Wednesday morning, sitting in the front yard of the family's home off Old Raleigh Road.
The boy had been taught well and fell to the ground to "stop, drop and roll," trying to extinguish the flames.
"My school's been teaching me a lot," he said. On top of that, his father, Stephen Worley, used to be a volunteer firefighter and now works for Wilson County EMS. So he knew what to do. So did the family and friends who were gathered for dinner.
Everything happened fast from there.
"At first it was a freeze moment," said Tristan's mom, Leigh. "It's a moment of shock."
Andrew used his bare hands to pat out the flames on Tristan's face and arms.
Leigh, who didn't see the explosion, looked up to see her child on fire and rushed over. She was able to extinguish the fire on his ear.
It was a can of glue that had exploded, so the gooey residue got all over Tristan and continued to burn on his skin. Leigh estimates he was on fire about 10 seconds.
Someone picked up Tristan and took him in the house so they could see how bad it was. Leigh remembers Tristan's eyes were singed shut.
Stephen had left the party to gather more firewood with friend Michael Thorne but was back in just a few minutes when he got a phone call that Tristan had been burned. What he saw was alarming.
"I saw my kid burned and crying, and with my training, I realized it was significant burns," Stephen said. "I scooped him up, and me and Michael took him the hospital."
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Tristan wasn't at Wilson Medical Center long before a helicopter was summoned to take him to the UNC Burn Center.
Stephen knew that the first 24 hours are the most critical with burns, so they didn't know what to expect when they arrived in Chapel Hill that night.
From the beginning, the Worleys were told the second-degree burns on his face should heal and leave little or no scarring. But his hands, with deep second-degree burns, needed skin grafting. He has four graft sites on his fingers and four on his hands. Tristan's hands and arms bore the brunt of the flame, but they protected his face.
The day after the fire, Tristan asked his parents if he could see his face. Leigh wasn't sure it was a good idea. Tristan's face was swollen, and his pale skin was bright red from the burns that would later weep and scab. But he insisted.
"OK. It's not that bad," the child said after his first glimpse through very swollen eyelids. "God has a plan for me." It was one of the first signs of Tristan's calm and accepting spirit.
"His positive attitude kept us positive," Leigh said.
The Worleys also worried about Tristan's eyes, which were still swollen on the second day.
"I was scared I wouldn't ever see those little blue eyes again," Leigh said.
But by day three, he could open his eyes more, and she got a glimpse. "They were just as blue as ever," she said.
Most of the pain for Tristan has been from the grafting donor sites on his left. He didn't even want pain medication in the hospital, his mom said.
"I just didn't want any medicine," Tristan said.
He did, however, want the bandages and dressings off following the grafting on his arms and hands. He missed using his hands and he missed drawing. When it came time to remove the bandages, Tristan insisted on helping.
"He was a tough guy," Stephen said.
Once the bandages were cut off his hands, and the dressings were soaked in water to make them come off easier, Tristan asked for a washcloth to remove the dressings himself.
"He wanted to be part of all of it," Leigh said.
'I WAS PAYING ATTENTION'
From the beginning, many people in Wilson saw the heart-wrenching photos of Tristan from his hospital bed and followed his story thanks to a Facebook page started by Patricia Hendricks. Stephen works with Patricia's husband, Bert, at Wilson County EMS.
It was a treat for Tristan to keep up, through his mom, with how many "likes" the page was getting on Facebook. And the Worleys were able to give updates and photos daily and receive messages of encouragement.
The Facebook page spread the word about Tristan, and so many people wanted to pray and help. Family, friends and strangers immediately started buying tickets for a barbecue chicken sale organized by the Wilson County EMS Employees Association. Tristan's classmates made cards, and their parents gave money to help with living expenses for the Worleys while they were at the hospital.
Tristan's teachers at Rock Ridge Elementary School, Tracy Mooring and Kristi Leggett, visited him in Chapel Hill.
One of the first things Tristan said to Mooring was, "You will be so proud of me. I was paying attention. I stopped, dropped and rolled."
Mooring said the week before the fire she gave a lesson on fire safety, including what to do in case you catch on fire.
Tristan remembered what she had told him, and he helped himself that night. It was one of the most important lessons Mooring has ever given, she said Thursday morning.
Mooring said Tristan's classmates missed him the two weeks he was out and couldn't wait for him to be back at school Monday. While he was away, they raised money for their friend. They placed piggy banks throughout the school and are encouraging students and others to donate their change for Tristan. Mooring said their efforts have been successful so far, and the donations include change as well as paper money.
The YMCA's Girls on the Run team members at Rock Ridge are also working on ways to help the family with treats for Tristan, and a fundraiser night has been set up at Chick-fil-A on Dec. 12 from 5 to 8 p.m.
"We are trying our best to do all we can for him," Mooring said.
The Worleys aren't sure yet what kind of medical bills they will face after insurance, but they know there will be many expenses.
"He will get everything he needs, if we have to go without," Leigh said.
Tristan himself wants to make a little money by making bracelets out of rubber bands. The activity is good physical therapy for the child's hands.
The Worleys had hoped to start building a house after the first of the year once Stephen has finished paramedic training.
They are both very thankful for the support they have received. Thankful and overwhelmed that so many people love their boy and have been praying for him.
HEALING CONTINUES
Although Tristan wasn't back in school last week, he was in his normal routine at home and isn't limited much in what he can do, except he's supposed to stay out of the dirt. He needs exercise to keep the graft donor sites on his leg from getting stiff, so they have been out in the community since returning home from the week-long hospital stay.
The healing on the facial burns is amazing after seeing photos taken just after the accident.
"I can't believe how good it looks," Leigh said.
Tristan's recovery as well as his positive attitude amazed the medical staff at UNC Burn Center, his parents say. He was released from the hospital several days early.
Tristan will have to wear sunscreen all the time and a special hat with UV protection when he's outside. His burned skin will need extra care for years, perhaps his whole life.
He will wear compression gloves on his hands and arms for a year. In cold temperatures, he will need a face mask to protect tender skin and in the summer will need special clothing to give him extra burn protection from the sun.
The Worleys, who were at their friends' home when Tristan was burned, say no one knows how the can of carpet glue got into the pile of limbs, leaves and grass they had gathered for the bonfire that night.
"We did not see it," Leigh said.
Tristan, who listened to another burn survivor speak at the burn center, would like to one day tell his story as well and make sure other children know what to do in case they are burned like he was.
And he'll probably tell them the story of how he didn't exactly "stop, drop and roll" to put out the fire.
"It was more, 'stop, fall and roll!'" Tristan said.
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Copyright 2013 - The Wilson Daily Times, N.C.
