Debbie Wood was just two-and-a-half years old when the pajamas she was wearing caught fire, leaving her with third-degree burns over 95 per cent of her body.
That began an agonizing lifetime of skin grafts and more than 400 operations she's had to endure.
"I'm a burn survivor of 54 years," said Wood, secretary-treasurer of the North Division branch of the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund. "I've had to have all those operations since then because burn tissue does not expand, so as I was growing I had to have scar revisions, skin release and skin grafting and everything else.
"Back in the '60s I thought I was alone. There was no counseling, there was no summer camp (for kids) like we have out in Vancouver. There was nothing there for me, so we want to make sure that our people here know there are people to talk to. I thought I was the only one for many years because I never saw another burn survivor."
The Burn Fund's North Division is hosting a fundraising silent auction at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club on Friday, starting at 6:30 p.m. and the public is invited. The goal is to raise enough money to send at least 20 local burn survivors to Vancouver for the Blue Skies 2020 Canadian Burn Survivors Conference.
The three-day conference, May 20-23, will be a gathering of burn survivors, first responders, and medical professionals who will focus on mental health strategies to try improve the lives of burn survivors and their caregivers.
"It costs about $1,500 per person and with our get together on the 15th, with our silent auction, we're trying to raise some money and we'll be doing more fundraising next year until the date of the conference," said Wood.
Survivors of the Prince George and Burns Lake sawmill explosions meet attend group meetings organized by the Burn Fund's North Division.
"We're just trying to get the word out that there are people out there who have been through the same thing," said Wood. "Anybody who wants to know anything about it is welcome to join us in the 15th, you don't have to be a burn survivor. Hopefully in future you'll be able to support us when we have our hot dog sales or silent auctions.
"The money we raise here in Prince George, stays here."
Wood and her volunteer crew have collected silent auction items from Azure, Mr. Mike's, Great Canadian Brewhouse, Andre's Electronics and Princess Auto, among other local businesses.
The worldwide organization, which has had a B.C. chapter since 1978, sponsors prevention programs and its professional fire fighter members visit schools and provide educational material to teach kids how to avoid potentially dangerous situations.
