February 12, severe burns: “I couldn’t even hold a fork in my mouth anymore”

“On February 12, almost 10 years ago to the day, it was the carnival organized by my high school. With my best friend we had made a sheep costume that we had done completely by hand. We had stuck double-sided tape on jeans and cotton balls…”, recalls Julie, now 26 years old. A handmade costume that makes the room hyper flammable, something the young girl was unaware of at the time.

“We realized this at the end of the day when, before going back home, I smoked that last cigarette, the one that changed everything. The incandescent ash from it fell on my suit which then ignited at breakneck speed.”

3rd degree burn on 40% of the body from a cigarette

“I was a prisoner of my costume and therefore of the flames, it lasted in my head for a fraction of a second, in real life maybe a few long minutes. This was followed by the arrival of the firefighters, my parents… They put me on an infusion called “stop-fire”, they forced me to take a shower to lower my temperature, and I woke up three months later after this accident.”

Marked by the flames on 40% of her body, this very serious accident shakes up the life of the young high school student, “many different aspects”. “The first one I would say is maybe physical appearance because I had no idea what a major burn victim looked like until I saw it on my body. So I discovered the burns, what could be skin grafts, I saw myself bald, really very thin, so nothing that I knew of the young girl I was before this accident was still reflected in the mirror.”

“It’s like a mourning where you have to let go of the person you were to accept the person you have become”

“Then, my life was shaken up from a motor aspect because I had to relearn everything.“The three months of artificial coma contributed to the weakening of Julie’s body who, when she woke up, no longer knew how to speak properly, feed herself, or even move around. “We’re really talking about a point in my life where I went from being a gymnast training 12 hours a week to a time when I couldn’t even hold a fork in my mouth or squeeze a ball in my hand.“Rehabilitation and physiotherapy sessions then punctuate the days of the survivor. “I had the chance to do my rehabilitation in the hospital, which made the process a lot easier. But it took a long time.”

Beyond the physical and motor aspects, Julie must also face people’s gaze on her new appearance as a major burnt victim, since this tragedy has left her body covered with many scars. “The hardest thing for me in all of this is having this new physical image where nothing is alike anymore… Knowing myself before was very complicated. It’s like a mourning where you have to let go of the person you were to accept the person you have become.”

Major burn, “what saved me too, it may just be the love of life”

“But what made a deep impression on me was my family and those accompanying me. We very often talk about the victim, how much she can suffer from her accident or from an illness, but for the carers, it’s something else entirely! There is a huge part of guilt. Seeing this pain and this incomprehension in the eyes of my loved ones marked me a lot.”

To get out of it, the young woman followed many therapies. “This is what I talk about in my book. The first was sports. He saved me thanks to the competitive mind where you learn to fall and get up immediately. The second thing is muscle memory: I had a rehabilitation that happened much faster than someone who is not athletic. And beyond the sporting side, it’s my family! When you’re surrounded by illness, in the dramas of life, it’s easier when you can tell yourself that you’re loved and that you can’t let go. I was also surrounded by my high school friends who were waiting for me. And what saved me too, maybe it’s just the love of life. I’ve always been good at living, I’ve always liked to live, to test my limits, to share, to dance… so that’s also part of my therapy!”

Almost ten years to the day after her accident, Julie Bourges publishes Every day counts published by Marabout. “It’s the best summary of the last ten years, of how I was able to raise my head. It’s a bit like this outstretched hand that I would have liked to have had at the hospital. This book, I created it over 365 days, it is an accompaniment where every day we find an element that can do us good, whether by a quote, by autobiographical writing, through my story , introspection tips, drawings, neurographic art… that’s all I wanted to convey to remind you that life is worth it!”

@whydoctor Suffering from severe burns at the age of 16, Julie Bourges alias @douzefevrier on social networks, tells us about her fight through this ordeal. #testimony #for you ♬ original sound – whydoctor