Burn Survivor Rosie-May: Mum of Daughter hit by a Firework tells her story

Following a firework accident that is any parent’s worst nightmare, mother Eleanor tells the story of her amazing daughter Rosie-May and the day her family would prefer to forget.

‘November 5th 2017 started out as any normal Sunday, we were all happy and excited to be spending an evening with friends, enjoying hot dogs whilst watching the fireworks. When in a flash ALL our lives were changed, the laughter and happiness of the children instantly became fear, as parents this became the worst day of our lives.

My little 4-year-old Rosie-May got hit by a firework that had gone astray. The fear on her face and the other children will stay with me forever. One of the multi-shot fireworks hit her in the neck. Instinctively she moved her head down in pain. Her coat caught on fire.

We acted quickly to get her clothes off her and led her to a bath of water until paramedics arrived. We were promptly taken to hospital where we were told we had to be sent 50 miles away to the specialist burns unit at Morriston hospital in Swansea.

At the hospital the consultants, surgeons and nurses took over and made our little princess their 100% priority. She endured 5 weeks in hospital, having to have many baths to clean the burns, a surgical scrub and a skin graft which was taken from her scalp. This meant her beautiful blond hair had to be shaved. We then had many weeks of weekly visits back to Swansea for dressing changes.

After many counselling sessions and reassuring talks, Rosie-May’s scar on her neck reminds us of that horrific night. Our little girl has amazed us every single day of how brave and strong she has been, not just for herself but for others who were with us that night’.

Looking forward

Eleanor, Rosie-May and their family have been extremely busy raising funds for the Children’s Burns Trust and helping to raise awareness about the importance of firework safety and good first aid: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cbt-rosiemay17

Eleanor said: “Without the amazing support of Children’s Burns Trust I would have been totally lost, with the run up to Christmas they sent us a grant to help cover the costs of fuel back and forth for my husband, food for us both and hotel stays. This small gesture allowed us to ensure our children could have a magical Christmas despite the accident. I think it’s so important for people to know what we went through as a family to raise awareness of firework safety”.