Val's Burn Story
On the 23rd of January 1988, Valerie Sloss was on a light plane with her husband, the pilot, and his wife. Her life changed instantly when the plane clipped a tree when it attempted to land in a paddock and caught on fire. Val and the pilot remarkably managed to escape the wreckage by running through the flames to safety, but devastatingly, her husband and the pilot's wife, her best friend, passed away.
Val sustained burns to 85% of her body. She does not remember much about the day of her injury or the weeks after, but she has a slight memory of her friend who lived on the farm nearby racing to her aid and helping her into a shower to perform burn first aid.
Once stabilized, she was flown to the Royal Perth Hospital and placed under the care of Fiona and her burns team.
"I spent nine months in the hospital and was placed in an induced coma for the first six weeks of my burns journey. I endured numerous operations in the first three months of my recovery and was placed in the ICU several times due to contracting severe infections. In the following months, I had corrective facial surgery, partial amputations of my fingers and countless life-saving operations. Coming to terms with my facial disfigurement and scarring was one of the hardest things to overcome. The team did a wonderful job reconstructing my face."
After ten months, Val was discharged from the hospital, but her recovery is lifelong. This year, Val celebrated her 75th birthday – a milestone she once thought impossible. She spent it surrounded by her loved ones and grandchildren.
Throughout the years, Val has actively contributed to our ongoing research efforts and supported fundraising initiatives to ensure we can continue finding treatment advancements that can reduce the burden of burn injury to other survivors. At 71, she pushed herself out of her comfort zone, faced her fear of heights and Took THE PLUNGE. Val is truly inspirational to her family and to us!
Last weekend, Val headed down to the Protection Engineering Bunnings Sauage Sizzle Fundraiser to show her support and she took this opportunity to record a message for you – please view here.
We know that if our burn survivor Val at 71 can Take the PLUNGE, then we know that anybody with a can-do attitude can do it, too! Please join us and register for our remaining places today – REGISTER HERE – you will even get to meet Val, who will be volunteering on the day. Our patients are why we exist, and this personal challenge will not only be unique, but you will also be helping patients like Val live the best quality life possible.
Central Park Plunge Information
This event invites those up for a challenge to take THE PLUNGE and make an unforgettable impact by abseiling down 130m from the Central Park Tower and raising crucial funds to support our research and education efforts.
How to get involved:
Save the date | Friday 27th October 2023 (PM)
Register now for $100 (scan code below) or Click here
Register as an individual or organise a team to share this experience – teams of 2 and 4 are ideal Start fundraising to reach your minimum goal of $1,100 per person
Who we are:
Burns are a life-altering event. They cause immediate and long-term traumas to mind and body and are arguably the most painful, unique and complex injury a human can suffer. Our goal is to minimise scars worn for life, both in mind and body. We facilitate translating our research into innovative treatments, technologies and evidence-based burn prevention education initiatives that significantly impact burns clinical care and raise burns awareness and first aid knowledge within the WA community and beyond.
What we want to do:
This year the donations from the plunge will be used toward developing visual-based resources that can expand our burn prevention and education programs that target children, their families and the wider community. The visual resources will be developed using an evidence-based approach to connect with and increase the health literacy of diverse cohorts in the community and within a clinical setting. Animated videos are an effective tool that we could use in the burns clinics to help explain our research and what consent is in a way that acknowledges both the child's and parent's participation. They are also a fantastic way to raise burn awareness and embed gold-standard burns first aid knowledge in the community in a way that is relatable and accessible to all.
This experience will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can also share with your friends, family and co-workers! Harness your courage, embrace the exhilaration and become part of something extraordinary whilst making a real difference by improving the outcomes and quality of life of those affected by burn injuries.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Di - diane@fionawoodfoundation.org.au