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The Chaya Malka Burn Foundation
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The Burn Prevention Post
www.whobyfire.com
Summer
Issue 4,
phone: 972 2 673 3196
2011
Page 1
Please contact:
Chaya Malka at
011-972-2-673-3196
[email protected]
or Bonnie Evans
at 301-754-2453
or
[email protected]
Consult a doctor if:
Severe sunburn
covers a large
portion of your
[email protected]
Fun in the Sun Tips
January
Chaya Malka is
available to
speak to your
community or
school during
January and
May 2012.
email:
What’s the Best Remedy for Sunburn?
It can take a full 24 hours after your fun in the sun exposure, to know just how
severe your sunburn really is. Then it can take several days for your skin to
begin to heal. The full extent of sunburn damage may be experienced years
later!
Keep Cool: Apply cold compresses — dampen a towel with cool water — and apply it
to the affected skin, or take a cool bath. Some people attest that grated or thinly
sliced raw potatoes applied like a poultice is the best treatment to soothe sunburn.
Moisturize: Gently spread moisturizing cream, olive oil or aloe to the sunburn. Avoid
products containing alcohol- they can dry out skin even more.
Beware of sunburn treatment products with anesthetics, such as benzocaine.
They can irritate the skin and they’re not very effective. Benzocaine has been linked to
a rare, serious and sometimes deadly condition. Never use benzocaine on children
younger than age 2.
Drink lots of water to prevent dehydration, a headache is an indicator (cont pg 3)
:
Sunburn Prevention
:
Generously apply a broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun
Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 to all exposed skin. "Broad-spectrum"
provides protection from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Re-apply
every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating.
body with blisters,
Wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed
hat and sunglasses, where possible.
Sunburn is
Seek shade when appropriate. The sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m.
and 4 p.m. If your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade.
accompanied by a
high fever or severe
pain, or
Severe sunburn
doesn't begin to
improve within a
few days.
Use extra caution near water, snow and sand as they reflect the damaging
rays of the sun. This can increase your chance of sunburn.
Avoid tanning. Get vitamin D safely through a healthy diet that may include
vitamin supplements. Don't seek the sun. Ultraviolet light from the sun and tanning
beds can cause skin cancer and wrinkling. If you want to look like you've been in the
sun, consider using a UV-free self-tanning product, but continue to use sunscreen with
it.
Check your birthday suit on your birthday. If you notice anything changing,
growing, or bleeding on your skin, see a dermatologist. Skin cancer is very treatable
when caught early.
Page 2
“A burn that
happens in just a
few seconds can
take years to heal
if it is third degree.
One who has never
had a burn like this
will not understand
what the treatment
means…..”
Yoshua Heimlich,
father of a young
burn patient.
The very special
concern of
Chaya Malka and
her donors,
enables us
to continue the
best treatments
for our
daughter.
It is difficult to
adequately
express
our gratitude!
Thank you
for your
kindness!
Chana’s Mom
“Please tell your
readers:
Stop, Drop & Roll
did not put out
the fire from
my polyester
shirt! Douse
polyester with
water or dirt.”
Burn Patient from
Highland Park, NJ
Chana’s Story
After spending Pesach in Belgium, we were preparing to fly back to Israel. One hour
before leaving, my one year old Chana tipped the kettle of boiling hot water on top
of herself. While my husband ran to remove the kettle that was on her back and put
her in the sink with cold water, my sister in law called Hatzola.
Within minutes an emergency worker arrived. He adjusted the water to lukewarm
to prevent pneumonia, and bathed her for 15 minutes before undressing her. He cut
around the places where her clothes stuck to her skin. The burn required
emergency treatment, so we rushed her to the hospital in an ambulance. Chana
suffered second and third degree burns over 12% of her body, down her right side,
on her arm and on her right leg. Miraculously there were no burns on her face or
hands.
The doctors said she would need skin grafts once her condition stabilized. She was
in the hospital for a week on an IV before we could fly home. The stay in the
Intensive Care Burn Unit cost 1,000 Euros a day (about 5,000 shekels). We did not
have travel insurance! They charged extra for medicine, bandages and creams.
At that time, friends told us about an amazing burn specialist in Jerusalem who runs
a Burn Gemach from her home free of charge. She’s developed a natural method
for treating burns, using antiseptic creams and powders, with added vitamins and
minerals. Patients pay only for the cost of the creams. This specialist told us to give
Chana extra vitamins and minerals (we used a protein drink) and lots of juices to
replace the fluids she was losing from the wounds.
For four months, we turned our house into a virtual hospital hoping that Chana
could avoid the skin grafts. We cleaned and sterilized everything that Chana
touched. Every other night we bathed Chana and had a major bandage changing
ceremony. Twice a week she went back to the burn specialist. Because of the pain,
we held our little baby 18 hours out of the 24 hour day and gave her Acanot and
Nurofen. She also needed medication to relieve the itching, and antibiotics to
prevent infection. Many nights we walked in the park near our home for hours just
to keep her happy.
With HaShem’s help, Chana did not need skin grafts. This treatment method may
have taken longer to heal the wounds. But we felt that there was no comparison to
the health, flexibility and growth rate of her natural skin verses having a skin graft.
We felt it helped the appearance of her scars too which were raised and bumpy.
Four years later, Chana is still wearing a Jobst (pressure) suit to push down her
scars, and help restore smoother skin. Each Jobst suit costs about 3,000 shekels
(about $900). The suit needs to be washed once a day to retain its elasticity, so the
doctors recommend having two at a time. This enables continuous wearing. Chana
outgrows her pressure suits 2 or 3 times a year. We still use creams and acorn
butter to keep her skin supple.
This is where Chaya Malka’s amazing organization comes in!
They help fund these costly pressure garments. Insurance pays about 85% of the
costs but only to a maximum of 3,300 shekels (one suit a year in Chana’s case).
Chana also requires silicone patches to allow her pressure suit to achieve maximum
success.
Our family lives on a low income. Costs for Chana’s hospitalizations, pressure suits,
creams, taxis to appointments, medications, vitamins and bandages are enormous!
The very special concern of Chaya Malka and her donors enables us to
continue the best treatments for our daughter. It is difficult to adequately
express in words our gratitude for something so meaningful. Thank you all
for your kindness! I will end our daughter’s story with a prayer that there should
be no more suffering in Klal Yisrael. May we share only Simchas! Amen!
Why It’s Important
To
Prevent Sunburn !
New statistics from
the Academy of
Dermatology show a
dramatic increase in
non-melanoma skin
cancer.
Young people are at an
increased risk of
developing this
disease.
Data show that
non-melanoma
skin cancer in the
United States nearly
doubled in only
twelve years.
Each year the number
of new non-melanoma
skin cancers is
about 4 million!
Camp Fire
Safety
Keep children away
from campfires and
matches.
Always have water
on hand to douse
the campfire.
(No Water, use dirt)
Never leave fires
unattended.
Wait until they cool
completely.
GUARD THE
LIGHTER FLUID
and other accelerants.
Page 3
Sunburn Tips
continued
Wear sunglasses!
Leave blisters intact. If blisters form, don't break them. Popping blisters will only slow
the healing process and increase the risk of infection. If needed, lightly cover blisters
with gauze.
Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. If needed, take anti-inflammatory medication
— such as aspirin, ibuprofen, Advil or Motrin until redness and soreness subside.
Don't give children or teenagers aspirin. It may cause Reye's syndrome, a rare but
potentially fatal disease.
Treat peeling skin gently. Within a few days, the affected area may begin to peel.
This is simply your body's way of getting rid of the top layer of damaged skin, which
can be insanely itchy. Continual moisturizing of burns with crèmes may prevent this.
Wear sunglasses. (Avoid putting sunscreen near the eyelids.) Wear a hat.
If you buy products online, by quickly going to the site iGive.com before
purchasing, and writing Chaya Malka Burn Foundation as your charity, then
part of your purchase amount will be contributed to
The Chaya Malka Burn Foundation.
About the Chaya Malka Burn Foundation
The Chaya Malka Burn Foundation was established in 2003 by Chaya Malka Abramson
to help Jewish burn patients in Israel. After recovering from burns on 85% of her body,
Chaya Malka works to benefit other burn patients.
Last year 2010 our generous supporters enabled us to:
 provide pressure garments suits to burn patients
 visit and counsel patients; and bring Shalach Manos for Purim
 buy crèmes and vitamin E for patients to help heal burns and lessen scars
 provide an information service for burn patients and their families
 publish our newsletter, The Burn Prevention Post; which contains burn
prevention, and resource information
 educate the public in Israel and abroad about burn prevention and first aid
 provide a forum for burn patients on our website, www.whobyfire.net
 network with other organizations in Israel and abroad to provide help for
burn patients and their families
 give air conditioners to burn patients wearing “Pressure Garments”, who were
suffering greatly from last summer’s intense heat . (Jobst suits are extremely hot
to wear, resulting in great agitation.)
Please help us continue our important work. Send your contributions to:
One of our adult burn
patients had
lighter fluid explode
in her face, as she
filled a lighter!
Chaya Malka Burn Foundation, Inc
c/o David Bahr CPAPC, 14 Uxbridge Street
Staten Island New York 10314