Burned Beauty: The Influence and Impact of Online Support

Tonya Meisenbach. Maybe you recognize her name. Perhaps you know her better as Burned Beauty 2018. Chances are you’ve seen or heard her on YouTube, Phoenix Society’s Girls with Grafts, Phoenix Engage, or other social media. And maybe you’re familiar with her nonprofit, The Burned Beauty Foundation.

She’s an influencer. Popular in the burn community. And she’s bringing hope to people around the world every day. But Tonya never sought fame. Fame found her, unexpectedly, a few years after her burn injury.

Tonya was living a full and busy life as a wife, mother of two young adults, and realtor. But in December 2018, an evening around the fire pit with her husband, Donald, changed everything.

Tonya reached over to place some steaks on the grate when her arms were met by a stream of lighter fluid in a moment of devastating timing that neither saw coming. The flames instantly enveloped her. Her first instinct was to run. Her second thought was to stop, drop, and roll. But the heat only grew.

Then Donald's voice broke through her panic, “I’ve got you, Babe.” He wrapped her in a blanket, smothering the flames. His quick response saved Tonya’s life. But she was burned over the upper 35% of her body. Her care would include two months in a medical coma, countless surgeries, and skin grafts of her entire face, neck, chest, upper back and, both arms.

For two years after coming home, she hid. While her beautiful, grafted face is well-known now, she kept it to herself during those early years of recovery. And her world stayed small.

As time passed, the loneliness got heavier. Until one day, her home nurse encouraged her to look in the mirror and find herself again. When she did, Tonya saw a little of the woman she once knew. She picked up a makeup brush, and Burned Beauty 2018 began to bloom.

She started learning about self-care and experimenting with makeup and wigs. Soon, she was making videos, sharing her story and doing makeup tutorials. The world quickly started to find her. And a new road to recovery opened before her.

Tonya embraced her role as an influencer. Founding The Burned Beauty Foundation and operating social media accounts, she leveraged her platforms to help burn survivors regain confidence and recover physically. And now, with thousands of followers, she lives out her mission of supporting others daily.

Her prominence in the burn community is a privilege she adores and a responsibility she takes seriously. But with leadership comes many pressures. So, when one of her social media followers urged her to find some support for herself and invited her to attend one of Phoenix Society’s Virtual Support Groups, she was curious but hesitant. Not sure if it was something she even needed, she joined a group in 2022. What she discovered surprised her.

In the support group, she wasn’t a social media influencer. She wasn’t a public figure. She was simply Tonya. No expectations. No pressure. Just unconditional, mutual support…and privacy. She had found a space where she could talk freely—or not at all. And it was a welcome relief she hadn’t realized she needed.

Since that first meeting a year ago, Tonya joins the weekly online support groups as often as she can. She has found they play an important and unique role in her healing journey. Listening to others’ stories in that environment gets her through her own hard days and recharges her spirits, so that she can continue her work in the spotlight.

Phoenix Society’s virtual resources open the door to a kind of support survivors can access anytime from anywhere. Tonya only wishes she had known about them earlier in her recovery:

Tonya knows what it’s like to both give and receive support—in person and online. And she finds both are critical to healing. But virtual connections have been her lifeline. They’re the platforms that have paved her path to healing. And the avenue she walks with others on a journey to rebuild their confidence and rediscover the beauty in life after a burn.

Follow Tonya on Facebook and Instagram @burnedbeauty2018!