10 July

This is a special date that I remember every year, my mum's birthday. However this date now has a new memory, the day Lucy got her hands stuck in a moving treadmill. When I first saw Lucy she was in the car screaming saying her hands were sore as Daddy dropped off Annie and BJ and raced up to the doctor. My heart just ached for her as I could not take the pain away. Once at the doctor she gave Lucy some special cream to put on and for Mum and Dad to put on every night and that was it. But two days later (Sunday arvo), Mummy just happened to be speaking to a nurse friend who recommend we take Lucy straight up to the hospital on Monday morning for the Burns doctors to look at it as it sounds more serious than what the doctor was saying. So on Monday morning Mummy took Lucy to the Emergency department at the hospital who immediately gave her some serious pain relief and took us up to the burns unit - 2 hours later! There the specialist assessed Lucy and informed Mummy that it did not look good. So they put special dressings on and splints on both hands to keep them straight so the scars could grow straight up and down without causing her fingers to become permanently bent as the burnt skin was over her knuckle joints. The specialist informed me that if the hand and fingers don't heal enough by Friday then he will have to do some skin grafting. This was not good news so alot of people from all over started praying for Lucy. When we went back on Friday the doctor was amazed at how fast Lucy's hands were healing and that her right hand was making a full recovery and that it did not need any more splints or dressings and that it will continue to heal itself. However the left hand was still not healed BUT instead of scheduling a skin graft he said he will give it 7 more days and if it is not healed enough by then then he will indeed graft the hand. Well this was good news to Mum and Dad but more prayer was needed.

Lucy at home before her appointment to see the specialist at the hospital

Lucy getting her dressings put on her left hand only

having the splint put on

at McDonalds for lunch after being such a brave girl

After seven more days we went to see the specialist again and he was amazed again at how well the hand was healing but it was not enough to stop the need for grafting. So he informed us that on the following Monday Lucy will need at least four spots grafted but it could be up to at least seven spots. Mum and Dad did not stop praying because anything could happen over a weekend. And it did! After the surgery we were told that Lucy only needed three spots done, two were serious (on her two fingers) and one spot on her palm which they only did because they had left over skin. So even though Lucy did have skin grafting God still answered our prayers as Lucy only had the minimal amount done.

Mummy and Lucy having a lay down on the bed

Daddy and Lucy watching 'The Wiggles' to pass time

Lucy sleeping on Mummy's lap post surgery

It was a very gruelling experience for Lucy and one that Mummy is glad is over - or at least the surgery part of it. Lucy is now on a slow road to recovery