Support from the community for a burn victim has been heartwarming, according to her family.
Terri Schofield is the mother of Alexis, who was burned at a campfire on October 8 when a jerrycan in her vicinity exploded. In an October Peak story, Terri said Alexis’s friends put the fire out and she was driven to Powell River General Hospital, where she was instantly admitted and intubated. After spending the night in the hospital here sedated, she was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit.
Terri now wants to say thanks and to express her gratitude.
“People have done so much and reached out in every way possible,” said Terri. “There are great things about living in a small community.
“People every day are still asking if they can do anything. I’m just so grateful.”
A GoFundMe campaign was started in the hours after Alexis was burned. The campaign, started by Alexis’s friend Haylee Harper, who was at the campfire, raised nearly $28,000 from 262 donors. Terri said, however, that the generosity goes far beyond monetary contributions.
“People have wanted to do yard work, provide massage therapy and gift cards for groceries,” said Terri. “My gas bill has been taken care of. There are so many people wanting to help on so many levels. I wouldn’t have made it this far without everybody.”
Terri said her family is gone, and through this incident, she feels like she has a whole other family.
“It has been wonderful to be a part of a small community. I really felt this overwhelming sense to give thanks.”
Terri said Alexis is not doing so well mentally. She is home now and recovering.
“We just started counselling and they are going to treat her as a firefighter who was burned would be treated,” added Terri.
Alexis feels badly for her friends and for the things they had to endure during the incident, said Terri.
“Those friends probably save her life in a lot of ways,” she added.
Terri said they would be going back down to Vancouver from December 14 to 16 to meet with medical experts. Alexis’s vocal cords have been damaged, and she talks like she has laryngitis.
“She’s working on healing along the way,” added Terri. “This is life-altering.”
