NEWS | LATEST NEWS

Burn Awareness Week is February 7 though 13

Burn Awareness Week is designed to provide an opportunity for burn, fire and safety educators to unite in sharing a common burn awareness and prevention message in our communities. Since the average adult has 21 square feet of skin—almost the size of a queen sized blanket-- it’s important to learn more about burn injuries and how they can be treated.  Burn injuries are second to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Each year in the United States, over one million burn injuries require medical attention. Approximately 4,500 people die from burn wounds. And up to 10,000 people die every year in the U.S. from burn-related infections.  Donated skin is a tissue that not only improves lives, but saves lives. Skin grafts prevent infection, promote healing and reduce scarring for burn victims. Split-thickness skin grafts are grafts that include two skin layers of skin, the full epidermal skin layer and part of the dermal skin layer. They are recovered from the legs, back and abdomen.

Leading Causes of Fire 

More than 55% of all home fires start with the ignition of food, or other cooking materials. Twelve percent occur when something that could catch fire was too close to the equipment. Many home cooking fire injuries happen when victims tried to fight the fire themselves. Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires.  The most common causes of product-related thermal burn injuries among children ages 14 and under are hair curlers, curling irons, room heaters, ovens and ranges, irons, gasoline, and fireworks. Most scald burns to children, especially small children between the ages of six months and two years, are caused by hot foods or liquids spilled in the kitchen, or other areas where food is prepared and served.

Fire Prevention

Burn accident statistics show that at least 50% of all burn accidents can be prevented. For example, one of every 13 structure fire deaths in the United States was caused by a child setting a fire. Children playing with fire account for more than one-third of preschool child deaths by fire. Wear short sleeves, or roll up long sleeves when cooking. Also, wear long oven mitts. When possible use back burners on the stove with the handles turned toward the back. If you have young children, teach them to stay away from the stove. Put tape on the floor so they can see where the “no-kid-zone” is. Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop.        

Share your love for others on Valentine’s Day by registering as a donor.   

February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day but National Donor Day.

National Donor Day honors those who have donated organs, tissues, marrow and blood to save the lives of others through increasing awareness and encouraging Americans to make donations. Valentine’s Day is the day of love and donation is the gift of life. So on the day of love, give the gift of life, make February 14th, 2010 the day you join thousands of Americans in making the donation decision.    

There is an overwhelming need for donors: 

• In North Carolina, over 3,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant, and nationally, over 105,000 people are on the organ waiting list. One person has the ability to save eight lives through organ donation and enhance more than 50 lives through tissue donation.  

• Approximately 35,000 children and adults in our country have life-threatening blood diseases that could be treated by a marrow/blood stem cell or cord blood transplant. 

• Every two seconds someone in America needs blood, more than 39,000 units each day, according to the American Red Cross.       

To participate in National Donor Day, take part in one of these activities:  

• Register as an organ and eye donor by having a heart placed on your driver’s license at the DMV, or register as an organ, eye and tissue donor online at www.donatelifenc.org, or by completing a paper enrollment form and returning it to Donate Life North Carolina. Make sure your family knows your wishes.

•  Join the National Registry of potential volunteer marrow and blood stem cell donors. Learn how you can donate your baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells at birth. 

• Donate blood.       

Durham Woman Honored in 2010 Rose Parade      

Delores Benton Evans of Durham, N.C., received son Ryan's left kidney the day after he died. "It is amazing that in life, he could not donate a kidney to me, but after his death it was possible," she said. Delores kept a personal promise by becoming an avid volunteer to increase organ, tissue and bone donations and advocate for kidney patients on dialysis.  

Last July, Evans saw a flier at the hospital advertising an essay contest for people affected by organ transplant, and wrote her story. Her entry was one of five chosen nationally. The winners were treated to a six-day trip to Pasadena and a ride on the annual Donate Life float in the 2010 Rose Parade. "The reason we're in the parade is to inspire -- basically to inspire Americans to register as organ and tissue donors on their state registries," said Bryan Stewart, spokesman for OneLegacy, the California procurement agency that heads the Donate Life float effort. Evans did just that by riding aboard the float which featured a floragraph of her son, Ryan.