Miyah's Burn Story

The Burn Center at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan – It is the only verified burn center in Michigan dedicated to pediatrics – and one of a few in the nation – to be verified by the American Burn Association (ABA) and the Committee on Trauma of the American Colleges of Surgeons (ACS).

Doctors and medical staff including Christina Shanti, MD and Justin Klein, MD at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan DMC Burn Center, worked tirelessly to treat Miyah who required several skin grafts including lab-grown cultured skin to achieve complete healing.

Sadly the challenge that went horribly wrong will lead to a lifetime of complications including scars and mobility issues, but Miyah has recovered very nicely given the circumstances.

“Miyah has made a remarkable recovery.  She has worked hard at her therapy and has insisted on returning to school and volleyball as soon as she could.  She has a positive attitude in general and that has helped her better cope with this accident.  Our burn team will continue to support her and help her achieve the best outcome as she progresses through her recovery long term,” says Dr. Shanti.

Dr. Klein explains that Miyah’s story is a tragic example of kids suffering from serious burns resulting from internet and other challenges kids may try to mimic.

“We have taken care of multiple children that have been injured from attempting ‘challenges’ seen on the internet.  In addition to fire challenges, we have more recently taken care of someone injured while re-creating a hot water experiment during the polar vortex that they watched.  It is important for parents to know what their kids are doing and having conversations about the dangers on the internet,” he says.

Brandi shares that despite the tragedy the happened with Miyah, her family is extremely thankful for the care she received from the staff at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan including Dr. Klein and Dr. Shanti.

“I cannot thank Dr. Klein and Dr. Shanti enough for treating Miyah like she was one of their own children. The care was exceptional and Miyah is doing very very well. She was in the hospital for two months but was released several months sooner than expected. She undergoes occupational therapy and had to learn to walk again but is back at school and even playing volleyball,” she says.

Brandi warns other parents and families to never play with fire and watch your children to make sure they are not mimicking others on the internet since what seems like an innocent challenge can lead to life threatening issues.

As for Miyah, she has turned this tragedy into a teachable moment to raise awareness of the dangers of dealing with fire and hopes to help other burn victims through her Facebook and Instagram pages #perfectlyburned.  This remarkable young lady is busy planning care packages at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan for other burn victims including inspirations quotes written by her. Through her platform #perfectlyburned she emphasizes she is proud of who she is, surviving the horrible fire, but her scars will not define her. She is determined to help other burn victims while raising awareness so that other kids do not make the same mistake she did.