Survivor Profile - Johnny Hansen
COMING FULL CIRCLE
From athlete to burn survivor, to athlete once more…
My story started three years ago when I decided to get healthy. I quit smoking and started biking to work every day. After a while, I started running as well. My goal was to complete a marathon by the time I reached forty. I did a half-marathon in Vancouver in May 2007 – in a very good time for a first timer – and I did several 10 km races too. But not long after that, something happened that stopped me from pursuing my dream.
On May 30, 2007, I went to work as usual, setting up some tests that I had done so many times before. I still had some time before my colleagues would arrive, so I took some flammable liquid to a pump and tried to turn it on. It didn’t work. Instead, it ignited the fluid. Unfortunately, I was standing in front of the pump at the time, and my lab coat caught fire. I managed to get it off, but then saw that my pants were on fire. Luckily, I was able to get to the emergency showers to extinguish the flames.
The fire alarm was ringing. There was smoke everywhere, and the sprinklers were on. I ran out of the lab, grabbed my stuff, and cried out for help. My legs were hurting pretty badly, and I felt dizzy. Thankfully, firefighters were soon on the scene, and the ambulance quickly followed.
I was taken to the burn unit at Vancouver General Hospital. I had around 10% second and third degree burns to my legs, face, and arms - mostly on my legs all the way down to my ankles – and had to have skin grafts. I was told by one of the nurses that I had the pulse of a 20-year-old because of my healthy lifestyle, and this really helped with my recovery.
Leaving the hospital wasn’t the end of my recovery. That was just the first phase. The second phase started when I got home, and involved physiotherapy, therapy, and visits from the nurses, etc. I had thought I was in good shape, but my muscles were very weak and my mind kept on spinning. The physiotherapy gave strength back to my leg muscles, by doing stretches and lifting weights.
Once I was on the road to recovery, I decided that I still wanted to do what I had done before: to run and to have a healthy lifestyle. Since it was my good health that had helped me get through my recovery, I felt I owed it to myself to resume my sports activities.
I started running again. I went slowly to begin with on the treadmill. I had to start all over again, alternately walking and running, to slowly build up my fitness level, and now I run four to five times a week on the road. Because of the stiffness in my right knee, my running times are not as good as before, but hopefully they will improve as time goes on. Since the accident, I have done a couple of 10 km races, and I have a half-marathon to look forward to in October. My goal is to run a marathon in May 2009.
What has really helped me through all this is the support of my wife and kids, and my running. I don’t know where my wife got all her strength from; it must have been a huge strain on her.
Today I know who I can rely on and who are my real friends. This experience brought out the best and the worst in people, but it has made me stronger
« Back to Survivor Profiles |
