Aria lives to make other people laugh. At 8 years old, she makes up her own jokes to bring joy to those around her. She has days and weeks when she completely forgets that she was burned. But in 2021, hot oil scalded Aria. This led her and her family on a long road to recovery, healing, and acceptance.

Aria was running around outside with friends and family at a party when she bumped into a table. Hot oil spilled down her right side, scalding her face, chest, both arms, and thighs. She received care in Arizona, with her mom at her side every day for the one month and one week hospital stay. According to her mom, Aria’s motivation to get out of the hospital was her family – to be with her cousins and brothers again to make them laugh.

Aria’s stay at the hospital came with significant changes, both physically and mentally. Her voice was different after being intubated for a week, and she needed continuing outpatient support for her injuries. Living in Imperial, Aria and her mom made the drive to San Diego for follow-ups at the UC San Diego Regional Burn Center. The Burn Institute stepped in to help Aria’s family by providing gas cards and overnight stays so her family could be close during her surgeries.

Through Burn Institute family events and meetups, Aria’s mom connected with burn survivor families and was able to talk to others about the accident and trauma. Aria has met other young survivors, and this year she attended her first Camp Beyond the Scars. Aria already knew another camper from the meetups in Imperial and was able to start the week at camp with her new friend.

“We are so excited for Aria to see that there are other kids going through the same thing and be able to talk about it and still live their normal life and make friends.” – Aria’s mom

Thanks to the generous support of our community, all Burn Survivor Support Services are provided at no cost. Camp Beyond the Scars remains one of the Burn Institute’s long-lasting programs because it offers young survivors a chance to connect with others. Your donation will help keep these programs available to those who need them, like Aria and her family.

Your support means so much to us – and has for many years. Thank you! You can donate today to help support burn survivor services like Camp Beyond the Scars and our Family Retreat.