This is the third and final instal-
ment of a Terrace Review feature
series on Roger Beaudette, a
young Thornhill man who was
seriously burned while removing
an unidentified chemical in an
unlabelled container from the
Thornhill landfill last fall. In the
previous Segment in our February
20 issue reporter Tod Strachan
described the incident up to point
of Roger’s trip to Mills Memorial
Hospital.

Fern Beawlette arrived at the

hospital only minutes after the |

boys. Roger’s condition was
serious, she was told, and the wait
for "real" information began.

Roger’s father Dennis arrived a.

short while later. In time, they
were faced by the doctor.

"Roger has third-degree burns to
75 percent of his body,” they were
told. "From his upper chest to his
toes... both front and back. His
back is the worst... He has a 30 to
35 percent chance for survival."
And the good news: "There are no
burns on his face."

No parent is ever ready to hear
those words. Particularly,
"chance for survival”. Better than
dead, perhaps. But how much?
And there was another problem to
be faced.

Roger needed to be transferred to
a burn unit immediately, someone
said, but the burn unit at

Vancouver General Hospital was
full. An air ambulance was-on the
way, and hospital staff were des-
perately searching for a burn unit
that had a space for Roger.

"We might have to send him to
the states if there’s no place in

PROVINCE OF

ding, Prescribed Burn

on March 20, 1991.

BRITISH COLUMBIA _—
Interested parties for a multi-year Stand Ten-

combination contract are to contact the Dis-
trict Manager, Bulkley Forest District, 3793
Alfred Avenue, Bag 6000, Smithers, British
Golumbia, VOU 2NO, up to 3:30 p.m. (local time)

This Is not a call for tenders. This is a call to
those interested parties for the establishment
of a select list and the transmittal of basic
prerequisites that are required.

b RC Pe re vente aD eceuage
10 Terrace Review — Wednesday, March 13, 1991

A moment ~
in flames, ,
years to
recover ¢

Canada," someone else said.

Their son’s chance for survival
was less than 35 percent. Some-
thing closer had to be found. There
was a very real and strong need to
be at his side.

Their prayers were answered.
Eventually, space was found in the
burn unit at Foothills Hospital in
Calgary. A long way off, perhaps,
but much better than other possible
alternatives.

The family had little ready cash.
And pride, ignorance and urgency
wouldn’t allow them to seek help.
Most parents want to believe they
can "make it on their own" under
any circumstances.
the responsibility for their children
is on their own. And when faced
with an emergency situation, such
as the situation now facing the
Beawlettes, was not a time to start
wondering who could help. Their
son needed them. This was a situ-
ation that called for action; not

The Thornhill landfill has been an ongoing source of concern in the community due to illegal

activities that include burning and the dumping of hazardous — and often unidentifiable —

chemicals and other substances. There is ittl
regulate the dump without driving users to dispose of

9 the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District can do to
their trash in areas outside the landfill. ,

process, doctors had inserted a
steel pin through what remained of
the leg so it could be elevated.
Still, they hid their horror, and the
visit boosted Roger’s spirits. There
was hope, it seemed.

Following their visit, the
Beaudettes sat down with Foothills
staff members and finally found
time to face the reality of their
situation, There would be many
more trips to Calgary — once a
month doctors there suggested —
but prior to leaving Terrace they
had quickly surveyed their‘ travel
options. *

‘No matter how ‘they did it, it was

Any preparation they might have done, though,
was lost in that first journey. Their bandaged
son was only a 91-pound shell of his former

156-pound self.

thought. |
Fem and Dennis were soon on
the road. They faced a 1,370 kilo-
metre drive with few stops.
Urgency and a shortage of cash,
not logic, would dictate their sche-
dule, and there would be little time
to dwell on personal problems
anyway. At the forefront of both
of their minds was the simple fact
that each had to prepare them-
selves for their visit with Roger.
Any preparation they might have
done, though, was lost in that first
visit. Their bandaged son was only
a 91-pound shell of his former
156-pound self. His left leg was
the most seriously bumed part of
his body. To help the healing

MINISTRY OF
FORESTS

and Fire Suppression

going to cost them about $1,000
for every ttip. They chose to drive
simply because it meant they
would have transportation during
their stay in Calgary. But visiting
Roger on a regular basis was going
to be an expensive proposition that
they knew they couldn't really
afford. |

It was suggested they contact

their local Kinsman Club, which
would in turn contact the Kinsmen
Rehabilitation Program in
Vancouver for assistance, and on
their return to Terrace the
Beaudettes followed that advice.
Help was on the way. In the mean-
time, however, their next visit to
Calgary was only two weeks away
and the Beaudettes had some im-
mediate fund raising of their own
to do. And with this, they began an
emotional and financial roller

coaster ride with no apparent end. |

Dennis began selling family
possessions. A boat and outboard
motor that were almost new, a new
portable electrical generator, a
never-used camper air
conditioner... all for much less than
they were worth, The sale of these
items would cover immediate
costs, but there was also a nagging
concern for the future, When
Roger came home, there would be
expenses that hadn't yet been
determined.

There was pressure to visit more

often than they could afford; both
from within themselves and from
Foothills staff. They would have to
visit every month, they were told
at first. But their second visit came
after only two weeks, and their
third after another three. And it
became obvious that three weeks
was too long. Roger, homesick,
lonely and in pain, would become
depressed and begin to lose even
more weight. He would lose all
interest in food, and much of his
will to continue.

Between visits, then, a routine of
nightly phone calls began. Less
than a visit but better than nothing,
these phone calls lifled Roger's
spirits with much planning of
activities for the next visit. For the
parents, it was another huge

expense.
There was anxiety over Roger's
condition, even his survival

seemed to be in question. Parents
suffered with the knowledge their
son faced two-hour sessions in a
Jacuzzi bathtub every day to soak
away old bandages. Then new
bandages were applied and hours
of agonizing physiotherapy would
follow.

There were skin grafts; the first
didn’t take. There was a round of
infection and then more skin grafts
were tried. And finally, at 4:30
am. one morning, a phone call
from a Foothills doctor asking
family permission to "do whatever
treatment was necessary”. Dennis
discovered later that failed skin
grafts and infection had doctors
considering amputation.

With nightly talks on the phone,
and visits by family members as
often as possible, though, Roger's

spirit held. The healing process

improved and he began gaining a
little weight.

On Nov. 29, two days before his
18th birthday and a full month-
and-a-half after the accident, Roger
was moved back to Mills
Memoriat Hospital in Terrace.
Everyone was elated, the financial
burden began to case... But the
family was only beginning to
understand what lay ahead.

The healing process would take
years, and cost plenly. In mid-
January, Roger would have to
retum to Foothills for a checkup

and possibly an operation to case
tightness caused by scar tissue
under his left arm. This would be
followed by other trips. Also,
Roger would have to wear a Jobst
bum garment to reduce scarring
for at least 18 months, and that
would be followed by perhaps as
many as 10 to 15 years of periodic
skin grafts to repair the damaged
caused by the burns.

In terms of dollars, the cost of
this healing process would be
astronomical. Roger was scheduled
io retum home in mid-December,
but would still be required to make
daily visits to “Mills Memorial
Hospital for several months for
two-hour physiotherapy sessions.

The family home would require
some modifications. In a letter, Dr.
W.L. Redpath states that burns as
serious as those suffered by Roger
give tise to a number of serious
difficulties, including the develop-
ment of "scar contractures" and the
inability to accurately regulate the
temperature in the home.

There were other expenses, but
for these, the family was grateful
for assistance, coming from pri-
marily from the Kinsman Rehabili-
tation Foundation. The foundation
had already paid for close to
$3,400 in travel expenses and the
first pair of many Jobst bum gar-
ments, The foundation had also
made a commitment to cover
future travel costs and for the

replacement of the burn garments:

two ate required at a time, one for
daytime use and the other for
night. The burn garments, valued
at $430 for two, will need to be
replaced every three months.

In addition to the assistance from
the Kinsmen Rehabilitation
Foundation, the Beaudettes also
received $2,000 from the Terrace
Elks Club, and to both these or-
ganizations the family is forever
grateful. "I’m trying hard to make
it on my own,” says Dennis
Beaudette, "...but I can’t."

But even with this assistance, the
Beaudette famlly is still faced with
personal costs of close to $1,500 a
month for at least 12 months, and
perhaps for as long as 18 months
or more. For this reason, the Ter-

— Continued on page B11