At just 10 years old Clara Stevens became a burn survivor after an accident in the kitchen left 15 percent of her body burned.

“It was really hot,” Clara said. “I can’t describe it, it hurt so much”

Last October, Clara was walking through her kitchen with her head down when her mom was moving a pot of boiling water.

“It hit my forehead and then it spilled down my back I started screaming,” Clara said. “I ran into my parents room and then my dad rushed me to the urgent care.”

At urgent care, they treated clara with medicated cream and then sent her to the Grossman Burn Center at Memorial Hospital.

“When we got there, they started cleaning my back and then we went back home and then we had another appointment and that’s when they told us that we were going to stay here for a while,” Clara said.

Clara suffered second-degree burns from a scald burn injury to the back. 

According to the hospital, scalds are the most common burn injury seen at the burn center, with 73 percent of burn injuries happening in the home, primarily in the kitchen.

“We didn’t expect to be in the burn hospital, but it’s very common, kitchen injuries, and they made us realize it occurs more than you would like it too,” said Clara’s mom, Natalie Stevens.

She was admitted to the burn center for four days where she under went surgery to remove the dead tissue. Her wounds were covered with a biologic dressing that promotes healing. 

“I can do anything that I did before,” Clara said. “My surgery helped me a lot. They took all the blisters, they took off the damage skin. At the end of my stay, I didn’t want to leave because they were being so nice and I liked it so much”

Her family says they are grateful for the comfort and support provided by those that took care of her baby girl.

“We’ve been lucky that we have gotten to see Clara’s nurses and doctors a few times since we left the hospital. We are now apart of the burn survivor family”

The Hook and Ladder Barbeque benefiting survivors like Clara is Wednesday outside our KGET studios at 22nd and L streets from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.