Eleven years ago, Chelsea’s  life was changed forever when she was accidentally pushed into an active BBQ pit by her large family dog.

Although undergoing countless surgeries and painful skin grafts, Chelsea remained in good spirits. While being cared for in the UC San Diego Regional Burn Center a nurse, recognizing her positivity and potential, recommend Chelsea reach out to the Burn Institute.

From that point forward Chelsea became an active member of our burn survivor community. She attended Camp Beyond the Scars for a number of years, where she learned to build resiliency and self-esteem, while making lifelong friends. After reaching the age of 18, Chelsea wanted to give back and inspire other burn survivors, so she became a camp counselor and dedicated volunteer for the organization.

Like so many other burn survivors, Chelsea felt the devastation of her injuries physically and emotionally, but little by little found the strength to face and conquer each fear. Now a young adult, the Burn Institute learned that Chelsea had career aspirations to work in the medical field, and so we invested in this amazing young lady with an educational scholarship. Through her hard work and dedication, Chelsea recently graduated as a medical administrative assistant and secured one of her long-standing dreams.

If you would like to help young adult burn survivors follow their dreams and peruse their educational goals, consider supporting our Burn Survivor Support Services here.