NNA SURELY HAD AN ANGEL ON HER SHOULDER one afternoon in May 1999 and the months that followed. Her life took an unexpected detour that day. Anna’s strong will, the kindness of a complete stranger, her parents’ profound love, and the excellence and compassion of CHRISTUS Spohn Associates helped this beautiful young woman not only survive, but live a rich, full life.

Anna, 26, was on her way to work when her pickup struck another vehicle and burst into flames. A man who witnessed the accident ran across the busy freeway and pulled Anna from the fiery wreckage. Although Anna had been severely burned on 35 percent of her body, this kind man saved her from more extensive burns and a certain death.

An ambulance rushed Anna to CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Memorial. She was admitted to the burn unit with third-degree burns on her face, arms, chest and back, a broken arm and other injuries. The first time Anna’s mother visited her after the accident, she couldn’t believe the person she saw was her daughter. Anna’s face was so swollen her mother could not distinguish her nose from her chin. Her eyebrows and eyelashes had been burned off. She was on a ventilator. Strong medications to control her pain and anxiety kept her unconscious during her entire stay in the burn unit.

Anna’s parents could not bear to leave their daughter when she obviously needed their love more than ever before. So, they remained in a small area of the waiting room to be near her at all times. At night, they slept in sleeping bags on the floor. To comfort their daughter, they kept her favorite Tejano music playing constantly in her room and during baths in the hydrotherapy tank.

On at least two occasions, they were told Anna had systemic infections and probably would not live through the night. Determined to pull her through, her parents talked to Anna constantly, telling her over and over: “You must survive. We need you.”

And survive she did. One year later, she was still undergoing weekly physical and occupational therapy, but the rest of the time she was planning her wedding.

Nurses who cared for Anna believe the young woman is a walking, talking miracle. Each time Anna was close to death, her will to survive and her family’s love and devotion pulled her through. The staff was inspired by what they saw. It gave them hope that God’s healing power will see other seriously burned patients through another day.

To this day, Anna has no recollection of the accident or of the 2 1/2; months she spent in the burn unit, undergoing daily hydrotherapy treatments and numerous skin graft surgeries on her arms. But every now and then, she’ll hear a Tejano song that sounds so very familiar, yet she doesn’t know why. She feels blessed.

Burn Unit Associates
CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Memorial
Corpus Christi, Texas