Inspirational Stories
Taakiri's Story
Hi everyone, My name is Taakiri MaTe Ata Henare, I am 9 years old and I live in Rotorua with my Nan, my brother, my twin sisters and my uncle. On my 1st birthday I went to see my auntie and uncle in Tauranga. I was playing with my cousin when I found a tube of M&Ms and inside was a button battery about the size of a 10 piece coin. My Nan said I must have thought there were lollies inside. Not knowing I swallowed the battery and was rushed to hospital. After 5 hours lodged in my esophagus the acid of the battery had already eaten my esophagus leaving scarring. My Nan would have to take me to Starship Hospital in Auckland every 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks for my surgery. We get to stay at Ronald McDonald house for the day and a night. Sometimes my esophagus starts to close up and I can't eat food and my Nan has to get or make me different food so I can eat and it's usually baby food that's soft that will slide down my esophagus, we then have to travel to Starship for my regular operation. Sometimes my esophagus closes up before we are due for my op and my Nan has to ring Starship or we go up to Rotorua hospital. About 3 years ago I got a peg inserted above my belly button that allows me to eat when my esophagus starts to tighten up, I have 2 special milks that I drink and my Nan can feed me through the peg. We call it a mickey button. Having the mickey button has limited me to play some sports, go away with other family members because I have to be hooked up to a machine, but my Nan takes me on trips with all my gadgets I'm needing . My surgery most of the time goes very well. I have a scope down my esophagus with a balloon at the end of it and pumps up the balloon to stretch my esophagus to 12 ml. Then I'm in recovery for about 3 hours before we are allowed to go back home to Rotorua. My Nan has been taking me to Starship for 8 years for my surgeries I am now 9 years old, my injury is permanent I love my family and I love my Nan. Ngamihi Yours sincerely Taakiri, nanny Michelle. |
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Rachel Kong's story
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Hi there, my name is Rachel Kong and in September 2020, I suffered 90% burns to my entire body. I battled an extremely rare and near fatal allergic reaction to Ibuprofen which doctors diagnosed as Steven Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. This affects fewer than one in a million people globally and one in one hundred thousand respectively. I spent 40 days in three hospitals - Whanganui, Wellington Lower Hutt and Auckland Middlemore. “I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me”, and all credit to the amazing doctors, nurses and everyone I encountered during my hospital stay. I am extremely grateful to be here, alive, to share my story and to be here for my son, my family and friends. Thank you to the Burn Support Group Charitable Trust for this amazing opportunity to jump onto their platform to share a bit of my story and for their support for my upcoming first Muay Thai fight. Coming up 4 years into my burns recovery, I have found solace at the gym and embraced a journey of bodybuilding and as of current martial arts- Muay Thai. Throughout my fitness journey I have learnt how to deal with my PTSD and my emotional and physical traumas in a healthy way. Most importantly, to reconnect with my mind, body and soul. A spontaneous conversation at the gym a year ago about how to execute an exercise opened the door for me to meet my coach, Tuera Pirikahu (NZ Muay Thai Title holder) . It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Years before I suffered burns, I wanted to learn Muay Thai but never had the courage too. Being a burns survivor has changed my lenses on how I view life. Life is well and truly too short to not be bold, loud and courageous and to embrace all the love and beauty it has to offer. So while chanting that in my head, I stepped foot into the dojo for the first time and fell in love. I am proud, privileged and honoured to be training under Awa Kings Muay Thai in Whanganui, run and operated by Lee Ashford and Katarina Hiroti. The club, my coaches and everyone in the club has welcomed me into the whanau and has helped me immensely with being a burns survivor and my ongoing healing journey. As our whanau spirit grows as a small, humble club, my spirit and confidence within me can not help but also grow. Every time training gets hard and challenging I think to myself, this pain is nothing compared to suffering burns. |
On June 1st 2024, I will be entering the ring for the first time and giving it everything I have got and helping my club celebrate its 10th year birthday with its first debut - Awa Nation.
This achievement for me means a lot of things to me, it reminds me of my own personal ‘Why’:
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Rachel Kong - daredevil!
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Once again, I would like to send a big thank you to the Burn Support Group Charitable Trust for providing me with some resources to accomplish my second exciting feat - 15,000ft Tandem skydive experience in Taupo.
The scenic plane ride up to 15,000ft was an amazing experience in itself. Despite all the nerves, I knew this was nothing compared to suffering burns and I have been through worse. I was reflecting on my plane ride how far I have come in my burn journey. The vivid memories of getting transferred by air from hospital to hospital in 2020 still linger in my head, however it was like opening a new chapter that survival mode has completed its course and living life to its fullest has begun. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” -Nelson Mandela I’ll be back again to accomplish more and hopefully during my recovery to inspire other burn survivors. - Rachel Kong |
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Your Story by Rory Smith
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Briana Meldrum is the 18 year old sister of young burns survivor Jack Dragicevich. She is currently in her first year of her Bachelor of Communications degree at Auckland University of Technology, hoping to pursue her dream to one day become a Journalist. For one of her assignments this year, she was required to film a journalistic interview on someone whom she found inspiring (video above).
Briana chose to use her brother Jack and how his life has been impacted by burns as she is aware that hot water burns are not as commonly talked about as they should be. Briana was 9 at the time of Jack’s accident and the event impacted her a lot. She was so devastated by what had happened by her brother and spent almost all her free time in his hospital room playing games with him to cheer him up. Since Jack’s accident Briana has volunteered her time to the Burns Support Group by attending fundraisers as well as helping out with the children at the annual Camp Awhi. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Click image to enlarge
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Camp Susquehanna
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A letter from Jack who attended Camp Susquehana:
I had the time of my life at camp in America, meeting all the other amazing burn survivors and the staff. I like how the camp was split into groups and it was easier to work with and that the groups were in the same age groups. I liked how the camp had heaps of different activities and all the kids had a go at them, also that there was not a bunch of kids having to wait their turns because of the group layouts it was awesome. I liked that no parents were at the camp and the kids seemed more involved it was good the see them happy. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO Carrie she was wonderful and I think we can both say we had a blast!!!! Thank you so much NZ Burn Support with out you I would have never experienced such an awesome opportunity and will never forget my experience and I look forward to sharing my story with the other kids from our camps here. I would also like to add I am still in contact with my friends from the camp and one is looking at saving to come to NZ for a visit. Kind regards, Jack Kelly |
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If you would like to share your story, please email it to [email protected]
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Burn support group charitable trust inc
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