Hello, I’m Ian. In 2018, I was in an explosion in my workshop. I sustained 20% burns to my hands, face and body. I also suffered inhalation burns and now have Bi-Lateral Vocal Cord Paralysis as a result. In total, I spent 3 months in Salisbury Hospital. This was me back then...

They saved my life. But I remember wondering, what now? Being released back “into the wild” is a whole new world of overwhelming sensations and experiences. Managing physically, mentally and emotionally with new burns injuries is isolating and frightening - and considering that burn injuries are so rare in the general population, often, many new burns survivors don’t know any other burns survivors. We don’t know that a community exists. I remember wondering - who out there has gone through this? There must be other people who have burn injuries? Do they communicate? Do they interact? Are there support networks available?

I was desperate to speak to someone who understood my situation. To have a connection with someone else who has been there, and come out the other side, would have been extremely beneficial to my recovery. I did some research, and I found Polly and Jennifer at Dan’s Fund For Burns. I learned about Polly’s survivor journey what the fund offers for burns survivors. I realised there was only one route for me: to help others who were in the same situation I had been in. I had reached a point where I felt I was emotionally ready, and was delighted when Polly and Jennifer asked if I would be interested in becoming a befriender.

Being a befriender gives me the opportunity to provide a sense of connection and support to other survivors, to share experiences both good and bad, coping mechanisms - these are all things I was crying out for in the early stages of my recovery, when peer support was not necessarily available. Alongside this, meeting and supporting other burns survivors gives me a greater understanding of my own journey. In that, peer support is a two-way street, and that is a wonderful thing.

I am at a point in my life where I am able to be happy, and the Dan’s Fund For Burns Peer Support Service is my chance to try to help other survivors also achieve happiness in their progression through the burns recovery continuum. This is me now...