Imperial Valley family getting help from Burn Institute

Burn Institute helps burn victims and their families mentally and physically

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - One non-profit organization is making a difference by empowering and supporting burn survivors in the Imperial Valley and San Diego.

"We just ran to the ER… At the time we were there she was just covered with… I don’t know with a blanket or something I don’t remember exactly… At the time that they opened it to see the injuries… I almost passed out it was awful it was so bad so painful she was not crying she was screaming in pain," expressed Elia Fuentes, the victim's mother.

An Imperial mother remembers the day her youngest daughter Bella received second- and third-degree burns on her arm, stomach, and leg from a soup.

She said that day was like a blur but the Burn Institute came to the rescue.

"I didn’t have money… I didn’t have any money… So you can imagine seeing you daughter crying in pain… And you not having the resources at the moment somebody helped me out… They said you know what we can pay you back for whatever you paid… It was… It was something you never expect… That someone is going to appear in your life and it’s going to be like… This is what you need I am going to give it to you… Without asking for anything and not for me for my daughter," explained Fuentes.

The Burn Institute has helped burn survivors for more than 50 years.

Providing programs to help parents prevent their child or themselves from getting burned.

“The Burn Institute is here to help any family or any individual who had had trauma from burned injuries and scars so we do a very holistic approach where we are here to support the individual who has been burned but also those surrounding the burned individual," explained Tessa Haviland, Burn Institute Executive Director.

The institute also helps burn victims feel empowered.

To learn more about the Burn Institute, go to https://burninstitute.org/.