The first full week of February is National Burn Awareness Week.
According to Memorial Hospital, scalds are the most common injury seen at their Grossman Burn Center.
However, a lesser known, yet still common burn comes from the treadmill.
When five-year-old Aly Verdoza got caught between a wall and a treadmill, the friction from the belt caused second-degree burns on her leg.
At Grossman, she underwent two surgeries and spent ten days in the hospital.
“We were taking care of it at home, but when they actually scrubbed it and took off as much of the dead skin and debris that was still in it, I realized I couldn’t do this at home,” explained Aly’s mom, Rene.
Doctors at Grossman say children make up about a third of their admissions.
“As far as a treadmill goes, you never realize how dangerous they are until you’ve seen third-degree or second-degree burns,” Rene said.
If you’d like to help burn survivors like Aly, there will be a Hook and Ladder barbeque fundraiser Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It will be right outside our KGET studios at 2120 L Street in Downtown Bakersfield.
For $5, you will get a hamburger, chips, a cookie, and a drink.
All proceeds will benefit the Kern County Firefighters Burn Survivor Trust, the Bakersfield Firefighters Burn Foundation, as well as other organizations that help local burn survivors.
