Bruce and his daughter Julia after his full recovery

After a full day of playing with the new watercraft, his daughter Julia brought to his attention that the battery had run down. Little did he know that a faulty o-ring meant gas fumes were building up all around it. He doesn’t remember the spark or being shot ten feet into the air. He does remember looking down and seeing the skin coming off his hands and thinking whatever just happened must be bad.

After making it back to his house and getting into the shower, he began to watch his hair, eyebrows and skin go down the drain. He immediately phoned his doctor asking to meet him at Baptist East near his home. His doctor told him to go straight to the Firefighters Regional Burn Center at The MED.

There was no time to call an ambulance, so they got into the car and headed to the neighbors’ house to get iced towels for the trip. As they approached a neighbor for help, Bruce’s wife was asked “Who’s that man?” By the Crittenden County Sheriff escort, he safely arrived at The MED’s Burn Center. Their team immediately sprang into action by first lowering his blood pressure before he died.

Once stabilized, the team began to cut away the burned skin with a scalpel. The process was painful, and he endured this same procedure every other day for three months.

Resembling a horror film creature, the doctors assured his wife that he would eventually look just like he did before the accident.

The next closest adult burn centers are in Louisiana, Missouri and Texas; Bruce would never have survived this accident had he not been treated at The MED’s Burn Center.

It is easy to forget that simple things such as recharging a dead battery can turn into a life threatening accident. The MED saved Bruce’s life as they are the only world-class burn facility in the region. Bruce Harrison was not only a patient at The MED, he now proudly sits on the Board for The MED Foundation.

“Please consider making a contribution to The MED Foundation this summer to ensure that others like me, who must endure horrific trauma or burns, continue to have access to the world-class facilities only available at The MED. If it weren’t for The MED, I wouldn’t be alive today. You never know when someone you love may need The MED,” explained Bruce.