Polly’s Story

Polly Adams was just four years old when a cup of hot tea changed her life in an instant.

Now, at the age of six, she shares her story in her own words – from the scary ambulance rides and hospital stays to the friendships, fun, and confidence she’s found along the way.

I was four years old when my Daddy accidentally spilt tea on me. One minute everything was normal, and the next I was crying and very, very worried. I remember thinking I would have to go to hospital straight away.

Mummy put me in the shower. It was so cold and really scary. Mummy was shouting because she was worried, and everything felt confusing and frightening.

Then the ambulance arrived. I had never met the ambulance ladies before, and it felt like they were taking me away. That was scary. But Mummy made sure I was safe and comfortable, and actually, the ambulance ride was a bit fun too.

That day I travelled in two ambulances and went to two hospitals.

When we arrived at Medway Hospital, I felt very worried that the people there wouldn’t be kind to me. But they were. I even remember a funny moment when we saw a Bluey magazine high up on a shelf and we couldn’t reach it!

Later, I had a second ambulance ride. My original ambulance ladies came back to take me to another hospital, and this time they put the lights and sirens on. It was really exciting! I felt much less worried because I already knew them. They felt familiar, and that made me feel safe.

When I arrived at Chelmsford, everything felt calm and shiny. They brought me excellent food – it was GREAT! Even though I was hurt, parts of it felt like an adventure.

When the hospital ladies took off all the white bandages from my arms and chest, it hurt so, so much. But one of the hospital ladies played a game with me, looking for things on the sheet. I was cheating because I found everything we were looking for! That helped distract me.

Sometimes the cleaning really hurt, but in the end, it was okay because people helped me focus on other things. There was even a whole room of toys at the hospital, which made going back a little bit better, even though I had to go lots and lots of times, which was very, very annoying.

I even had a sleepover at the hospital for my operation. I loved the idea of a sleepover, but I was very scared and worried about the face mask they used to give me medicine to fall asleep. I really, really didn’t like it.

I didn’t even get to eat breakfast that day! I was shocked and super tired. I was really worried it was going to hurt – but it didn’t.

When I woke up, a whole part of my leg had a cover on it. It felt like there were 10 or maybe even 99 layers of bandages! I was quite surprised that it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.

When me and Mummy stayed overnight, she was really uncomfortable on her bed. I stayed up until 9 o’clock!

Some parts were very scary. More cleaning appointments hurt very badly, and I did not like them at all. We had to go back a lot.

But I remember when the bandages finally came off. It felt like I could breathe again. My chest and arm had been so, so hot, and suddenly they felt much cooler. That was a big moment for me.

There were lots of kind people who helped me.

Ginny gave me a teddy Care Bear, and when I woke up we had matching plasters. I played football with Amanda (even though she got told off by the doctor!). Emma used to change my bandages next to the bath, and sometimes it was soooo funny.

Even though I was scared at times, the nurses and doctors were kind, and that made a big difference.

One of the best things that happened after my burn was going on a special holiday weekend with Children’s Burns Trust. We made new friends, had a sleepover, went to a farm park, the beach and swimming. It was so much fun.

We even went to Diggerland. It was raining so hard, and we went on a ride 50 feet in the air. It didn’t even do anything – we just got FREEZING and SOAKING! We laughed so much.

When I was four, I thought I wouldn’t heal. But I did. Now I feel a lot better. Sometimes my new bandage hurt a bit, but I’m still shocked at how much better it got. I’m proud of myself.

I am more careful now. When I was four, I wasn’t careful around hot things. Now I know how important that is.

It’s okay if you get burnt – the hospital will help you. Be safe and listen to your grown-ups, especially around hot things.

I don’t mind if people ask about my scars… but some days I do. And that’s okay too.