Judith Cato Addison, a survivor and victim of a devastating fire incident, recently shared her journey of recovery, revealing the emotional and physical challenges she faced, especially after leaving the hospital.
Judith recounted that the incident that occurred when she was just eight years old. Returning from vacation classes and feeling hungry, she decided to prepare a meal for herself, despite her mother’s offer to do it.
While checking on her food, she noticed a napkin smoking in the kitchen. “Before the napkin could come off where it was lying on the tube I heard a boom, the explosion and my body was on fire,” she stated.
Judith’s screams immediately drew attention where a few people nearby quickly poured approximately two buckets of water on her, which helped to ease the burning. Her father arrived shortly after from work and quickly rushed her to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Upon arrival, the young Judith faced a difficult wait. “We got to the hospital at about 3:30pm in the afternoon and till 10:00pm there was no doctor to see me.” she explained, detailing the lack of facilities and staff to handle burn situations at that time. She further explained that swelling around her burns was significant issue due to the injury.
Judith continued that transition back home proved to be more challenging than the physical recovery. Judith spoke candidly about the shift in how people perceived and treated her. “Life was different when I got back from the hospital,” she said.
“People kept asking what happened to you and it became like a pity party,” she added, explaining why she didn’t want to go home but instead chose to go to the boarding house.
Judith felt that her identity had been reduced to the incident. Before the fire, she described herself as a bubbly-lovely girl.
After, she felt her life was boxed into what happened to her, shifting the entire conversation away from who she was as a person. She noted the awkwardness, saying that people didn’t know how to say the appropriate things to her.
Throughout her battle with burns and the stigma that followed, it never crossed her mind that she wouldn’t find a man who would love her for who she is. She kept her faith in God, believing that she would one day marry the man she loves.
“The first time I entered the house, I was in a hurry to see the mirror. I got close to the mirror and noticed that am I really sure I want to see? I took a second before standing in front; closed my eyes and opened and just started tearing. I spent the whole time in the room trying to adjust. It was hard to come to terms with who this new person was and so I cried a lot. Going through this process, because I accepted that it didn’t look so good, I wasn’t expecting people to think it looked great. I was merciful to myself and wasn’t trying to please a man. I was part of the guys who would talk about the pretty girls in the class but it never crossed my mind once that I won’t get a man,” she said.
Today, Judith is happily married with two children. They give her hope and strength to continue pushing the Beyond Burns agenda, championing and intensifying awareness of burn survivors in Ghana and beyond.
Judith’s story is a powerful reminder that the struggles of fire survivors extend far beyond the burns, highlighting the critical need for empathy and support in emotional recovery.
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