Burn Survivor Returns To School To Spread Fire Safety Awareness | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: After battling third degree deep burns on 50% of her body and spending two months in a Mumbai hospital, a 12-year-old girl from Uttarakhand has taken it upon herself to create awareness among children about fire safety and burn prevention. Burn survivor Nishthaa Agarwal recently addressed an audience of 400 students at her Dehradun-based school on her learnings and what they should do if someone around them suffers burns. The presentation got her a standing ovation and she now plans to go online to reach out to more children across the country.
According to a research paper published in the Lancet medical journal, over 23,000 fire-related deaths were estimated in India in 2019, which is about 20% of the global mortality burden.
The burden of burns among women (aged 15 to 49 years) in India is three times higher than among men. The surge in burn cases during Diwali sees an increased representation of children. Burn survivors can be financially distressed, vocationally challenged, and socially excluded, the research paper says.
On May 30, Nishthaa was lighting a lamp for a puja at her home in Rishikesh when her clothes caught fire. Her mother, who was in another room, tore off her burning clothes and made her sit under running water. This move, say doctors, showed great presence of mind. For the next 16 days, Nishthaa was treated at a leading hospital in Rishikesh. But her health nosedived. She developed septicaemia — a condition where wounds get infected with poison spreading all over the body. “The affected area of burns was very large and associated septicaemia made her chances of survival appear bleak. In a critical condition, she was airlifted to Mumbai and admitted to the burns ICU,” said plastic surgeon Dr Shailesh Ranade, who was Nishthaa’s treating doctor at the Bhatia Hospital.
Nishthaa underwent over 25 surgeries in a Mumbai hospital. She had to lay still in bed for hours to prevent leaks from multiple machines applied to her body. “But my doctor pushed me to not give up and gradually, things started to look up,” she said.
As she started to recover, Nishthaa researched about the situations where the children were at risk of suffering burns, such as while using kitchen appliances unsupervised or taking a hot bath without checking the water temperature or bursting firecrackers while holding them. She put together a doctor-approved PowerPoint presentation on how to prevent such situations and what to do when one suffers burns.
Earlier this month, she made a presentation at the Oberai School of Integrated Studies (OASIS) in Dehradun where she studies in class 7. Her peers and seniors in school listened with rapt attention as she spoke of the puja incident and how one must never run in case their clothes catch fire as that would provide more oxygen to the fire and increase the flames. “Stop, lie down and roll as much as possible to put out the flames,” she said. Elaborating on what to do if a chemical is splashed in the eye, she said, “The eye should be washed with water for at least 10 minutes and not rubbed.”
Natasha Bathla, head of the Junior School at OASIS, said the youngster had undergone a life-altering experience and her determination to come back to school and talk about fire safety had earned her respect. Her doctor also attended the event. Supporting her daughter’s resolve, Nishthaa’s mother, Ekta, said there is awareness on how to perform CPR, but not on what to do if someone suffers burn injuries. “With more awareness on the subject, injuries among children could be prevented,” Ekta said.