By Maggie Niu | Psychological counselor, Sunshine Foundation
Over the course of the long rehabilitation process following burns, the professional team of Sunshine Foundation not only helps burn survivors, but they also provide crucial support to family members who must deal with the emotional impact of the injury of their loved one and the recovery process. This can be especially difficult for the parents of burned children. As part of her work as a psychological counselor at Sunshine Foundation, Maggie NIU helps these parents explore and understand their emotions about their child’s injury.
In the course of my work at Sunshine Foundation, I often meet parents of small burned children who anxiously ask me if the injury will cast a lifelong shadow over their child and what can be done about it.
Faced with these questions, the first thing I can be certain of is that the parents are dealing with their own trauma and a tremendous amount of stress, which sometimes even exceeds the trauma and stress endured by a child who doesn’t really understand what is happening. During rehabilitation, the child who cries, screams and runs away is directly reacting to the physical pain. However, every scream of pain is like a dagger in the heart of the parents who worry for their child and blame themselves for letting this happen.
Hsiao-Li is one of those parents. Her daughter was burned while Hsiao-Li was absent, and now Hsiao-Li is not only ridden with guilt, but she also worries that the pain of rehabilitation and the scars will leave her daughter traumatized for life. Hsiao-Li told me how she must constantly appease her daughter every time she does rehabilitation, changes her wound dressing, showers her or puts her clothes on because the pain is too strong. Or how at night, she must help her daughter relieve the pain and itch caused by the scars without damaging the fragile skin that is progressively healing. Hsiao-Li desperately wishes that she could take some of the pain on herself. And although changes in her daughter’s appearance would never alter the love she feels for her, Hsiao-Li can’t help worrying how people will treat her daughter in the future. After a day spent overcoming a variety of challenges, Hsiao-Li looks at the little face of her daughter who has finally been able to fall asleep and thinks: “I wish my little treasure would never grow up. If she doesn’t grow up, I can continue to take care of her, she wouldn’t have to learn about the harsh reality of life and she wouldn’t have to face the stares of others.”
As I look at the exhausted Hsiao-Li sharing her most inner thoughts, I feel my eyes filling with tears. This period now is the hardest for a mother, but it’s also the happiest, because she can give her daughter more love, more attention and she can do more for her. Hsiao-Li cherishes this moment when she can protect her daughter who although being injured, is nonetheless surrounded by unconditional love. Nobody can be blamed for this kind of injury and nobody would wish this on anyone, but the emotional pain and pressure felt by parents is all too real. As I look at Hsiao-Li, I can’t help thinking: “Continue caring for your daughter, and we will continue to care for you and support you through it all!”
Your support is crucial!
Your donations make it possible for Sunshine Foundation to help burn survivors and their family go through the difficult process of rehabilitation. Now, thanks to Bonus Day on July 16th, your donation can achieve greater impact. During the July 16th Bonus Day, GlobalGiving will be matching online donations made to Sunshine Foundation at 40%! This means that a US$100 donation will result in a US$40 match!
Bonus Day begins at 9:00 am EDT on July 16th, 2014 (time in your city) and ends at 11:59 pm EDT (time in your city) on July 16th, 2014. There is $130,000 in matching funds available, so be sure to make your donation early.
Online donations of up to $1,000 per individual donor per project are eligible to be matched at 40%. In addition, the organization that raises the most donations on Bonus Day will receive an additional $1,000 from GlobalGiving. This bonus prize is determined at 11:59 pm EDT on July 16th.
By Marie-Claude Pelchat | Project Leader
By Marie-Claude Pelchat | Project Leader
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