Virtual Open Mic: William W. Crawford Jr.

My daughters, Bryce and Shannon, surprised me with a father / daughter adventure to Iceland in celebration of my 70th birthday in October of 2016. We ended the second day with an evening swim at the Secret Lagoon (geothermal hot spring). I decided to go for a cold water swim in a narrow river which flows past the hot spring. I took a short cut over what I thought was a grassy green lawn when in fact there were hidden thermal pools of boiling water just beneath the surface. I almost made it to the river when my left leg plunged into a sink hole. I jerked to pull my leg out and in doing so both legs and my entire left side slid into the searing hot water. I SCREAEMED. Shannon (about 20 feet away) with help from a stranger, pulled me from the pit.

It took about 20 minutes for a rescue team to arrive, assess and medicate. About 30 minutes away in Selfloss Iceland, an air ambulance helicopter landed by the road and transported me the rest of the way to Landspítalinn, the National University Hospital in Reykjavik where I was treated for two days in intensive care. There was initial conversation between the hospital staff and my daughters about the need to life flight me to Sweden or England for emergency care in a burn center but it was in the best interest for all parties involved to transport me to the US and West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The hospital staff in Reykjavik could not have been more attentive, caring, informative and loving to my daughters. They were amazing and represented the best in medicine, and from what I experienced, before the accident, the warm nature and friendliness of Icelanders.

As an aside Shannon called the US Embassy as directed by the hospital staff. The person she spoke with said she needed to check this out with her boss and call back. The call was returned a couple hours later and Bryce was told there wasn't much they could do and your dad is where he needs to be. This next paragraph is from Bryce as I was still heavily sedated and have no memory of my time in the Reykjavik hospital. "The next morning a lovely Icelandic woman, Edda Sigurdardotti, arrived at the hospital indicating she was from the embassy. I thought she was from the US Embassy but she was actually from the Canadian Embassy.”

Police contacted Edda at midnight to let her know there had been an accident with someone with a Canadian connection. Because Bryce, my daughter, has dual Citizenship the Canadian Embassy fully supported her and Edda spent significant time with my daughters showing empathy, taking care of a car rental return, cancelling an Airbnb, and arranging the life flight to land at a smaller less congested airport closer than the main airport. Time was critical for my survival. The emergency room physician told Edda there was a 72 hr. window for treatment at a center staffed by burn care specialists.
1
I have no memory of the Reykjavik hospital or life flight. I awoke from 3 weeks in an induced coma at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, one of the top burn centers in the US. I had a total of 13 skin graft surgeries - over 60 percent of my body. While in a coma, and heavily medicated, I had both the pleasure and terror of wild unbridled dreams: visions of my wife, children, and grandchildren floating in a lifeboat in a churning sea, being shaved with a huge extremely dull straight razor by a strange guy, splendid vacations to faraway lands, and fights with demons.

After a month I was transferred to Life Care Hospital and then back to the burn center due to complications. After stabilization I returned to Life Care and then to Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital for 3 and a half weeks of in-patient physical and occupational therapy. At the time of the accident I weighed about 200 lbs. When I was discharged from the rehab center 4 months later my weight had dropped to 140 lbs., losing almost a third of my body weight.

One afternoon at the hospital my daughter said “dad, there’s a guy, Ray, in the waiting room who is a burn survivor and volunteers with Burn Concern of Western Pa to support burn patients. Do you feel up for a visit? I recall this was a ‘do not disturb day’. I was depressed and did not feel like seeing anyone. I said not today hon, maybe another time. A week later Shannon said “Ray is back in the waiting room and would like to see you. Dad, I think Ray’s visit will help you.” I learned Ray, and his wife Beth, spent time comforting family members, answering questions and shared resources for burn survivors. I was feeling better that day so I said sure. Ray appeared with a calm reassuring presence. His smile and his own story of injury and recovery lifted my spirts, and for the first time HOPE.

Six months later, while recovering at home, I received an invitation to attend a Burn Concern meeting. In addition to Ray and Beth I met 6 other burn survivors dedicate to advancing the recovery of survivors and supporting the Burn Center team of physicians, nurses, psychologist, social workers, and support staff. I am now a SOAR certified volunteer (Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery), and member of the West Penn Hospital Burn Concern Advisory Board.

Through Burn Concern I learned of the amazing work of the Phoenix Society – empowering the burn community around the world. I attended the Phoenix World Burn Congress (virtual in 2020 due to Covid restriction). The WBC is tailored to support burn survivors, loved ones, first responders, and burn support professionals - wherever they are.

There are numerous opportunities for burn survivors and family members to address their own healing and contribute to the recovery of others. The Phoenix Society sponsors monthly virtual peer support meetings, Facebook conversations via the Wednesday evening chats, and many other unique events: https://phoenix-society.org/community-calendar. Many questions are answered within the Phoenix Societies on-line Resource menu. https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources

William (Chip) W Crawford, Jr
April 18, 2021