Life
Community Comes Together To Help Burn Victim After Husband Abandons Her
I can't believe that this man feels okay abandoning his wife after being the primary cause of her burns. It's heartwarming to see the community come together to help her
Sophia Perez
07.12.17

In September of 2016, 27-year-old mother Courtney Waldon was involved in a tragic campfire accident.

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Her husband had poured gas onto their campfire, which splashed up and covered Waldon in flames that left over 40% of her face and body covered in burns.

Waldon was forced to undergo seven surgeries and multiple skin grafts, eventually spending 51 days in the ICU Burn Unit. Her doctor estimates that she will require twelve more surgeries over the course of the next two years.

When Courtney was finally released from the hospital, her reunion with her family was short-lived. Her husband left her and her four-year-old daughter, Caroline, after only two weeks. Courtney, whose hands were severely and potentially permanently injured, was left with no means of income for her family.

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Unable to pay her medical bills, she and Caroline were eventually forced to leave their home. Homeless and permanently injured, things were looking like they couldnโ€™t get any worse for Courtney and Caroline.

But itโ€™s always darkest before the dawn. When Courtneyโ€™s community and local church learned of her condition, they decided to help.

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Theyโ€™ve banded together to raise money to build a house for Courtney and her daughter.

โ€œCourtneyโ€™s accident was first brought to me by one of the educators of our church. She approached me at church one day and said had I heard about Courtneyโ€™s accident? So she said there must be something we can do,โ€ said John Ellis, the pastor at Courtneyโ€™s church. โ€œWhen we asked those educators, those teachers the question, โ€˜What does Courtney need?โ€™ all of them were in agreement that she needed a house.โ€

โ€œWhen I was introducedโ€ฆ I was actually like absolutely,โ€ said contractor Mark Bradley. โ€œIโ€™ve got enough contacts, youโ€™ve got contacts, weโ€™ll build this thing and just hand over to her the keys once everythingโ€™s completely done. And sheโ€™ll have a mortgage-free home.โ€

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โ€œAnd then all the sudden we start making phone calls and next thing you know weโ€™re out here great, getting everything done, and Courtneyโ€™s just a few months away from a new home.โ€

Volunteers from all over Courtneyโ€™s community have worked together to make her new home a reality.

โ€œItโ€™s a little two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath,โ€ says Courtney, as she walks through the construction zone that will soon be her new home. โ€œIโ€™ve been managing to get my life back. Iโ€™m just pushing forward every day to make myself better and stronger for myself and for my daughter.โ€

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