Long road to recovery for burns victim

By Catherine Best
Updated November 5 2012 - 10:43am, first published November 26 2003 - 2:33pm

WENDOUREE toddler Harley Sharp will celebrate his third birthday in hospital next Monday, but his parents are praying for a miracle to get home in time for Christmas.
The two-year-old received deep burns to 15 per cent of his body after a petrol tin he and his brother were playing with ignited and set the family home on fire.
That was two weeks ago. Since then Harley has been under almost constant sedation in the Royal Children's Hospital's intensive care unit. Already his tiny body has endured two skin grafting operations and doctors believe several more will follow.
For parents Cody Sharp and Maudelene Still it has been a harrowing two weeks. Not only have they lived every parent's worst nightmare, their torment has been two-fold.
The couple's second youngest son, Callum, 3, was also hospitalised after he suffered second degree burns to his upper arms, face and chest. The toddler made a miraculous recovery and was discharged from hospital less than 72 hours after the fire. Earlier this week Callum showed no signs his injuries had slowed him down as he tore around the McDonald's playground at the Royal Children's Hospital, laughing and teasing his dad to catch him.
The laughter was welcome respite for Mr Sharp and Ms Still, who have maintained a constant vigil by their youngest son's bedside since he was admitted. By day they pace the hospital corridors, wait, and imagine cuddling their little boy. For now their only contact is with Harley's fingertips; most of his blistered body is bandaged, and the parts that aren't burned have been used for skin grafts. By night the couple stays at the hospital's family accommodation centre, Ronald McDonald House, catching a few hours sleep before returning to intensive care.
Their devotion paid off last Friday when Harley opened his eyes for the first time since the accident.
"I was happy when he opened his eyes," Mr Sharp said.
"He clenched Maudelene's hand as soon as he opened his eyes."
"It was good," Ms Still added. "But he's still pretty out of it."
The hours after Harley woke up were testing for both parents and patient, with Harley suffering withdrawal symptoms from the drugs and anxiety from the trauma.
"We were the only ones who could calm him down; the nurses couldn't calm him down," Mr Sharp said.
"One of the drugs he's on makes him hallucinate and have flash backs and nightmares which is hard.
"If he gets too worked up we just can't handle it. We have to go out and get a coffee or something and come back later."
Some days, Ms Still is at the hospital by 7am. Other days she doesn't leave until 2am. It's a draining experience for any parent, but when you have another five children under seven to tend to, it's an even greater test.
"Michael (the oldest child) is getting a bit jealous, but he understands why," Ms Still said.
"When he saw Harley he said he looked like a monster, that he didn't look like his brother."
The oldest two children are staying with their father from a former relationship, while the younger two are being looked after by their nanna, Elaine Sharp.
"It's been a bit upsetting, but looking after the kids is keeping me going, I guess I feel I'm doing my part," Ms Sharp said.
The family has only lived in Wendouree for six months and was planning a Christmas dinner at their new home this year, but that may have to be put on hold.
"He'll be in here for Christmas," Ms Still said. "He's in here for his birthday too, that's next Monday. I hope he's awake for that."
"We'd like him to get better before Christmas but it's just not going to happen," Mr Sharp added.
"We want to get him out just for Christmas Day and continue on with our lives from there when he gets better."
But the road to recovery is long and Harley will have many hurdles to overcome. He faces at least another month in hospital and his overall recovery will depend on how well the skin grafts take to his body.
Harley has had two operations to replace the skin on part of his left arm, shoulder, scalp and back and faces at least another two to three trips to theatre in coming weeks.
Paediatric burns surgeon Dr Tom Clarnette told Harley would definitely scar, but said it was too early to tell how badly.
"We can't make it look normal again, you can never avoid scarring from burns, but certainly doing skin grafts that attach well can make a major difference," he said.
Like all burns survivors, Harley's biggest threat is infection. And Dr Clarnette said while the toddler was progressing satisfactorily, he was not yet out of the critical zone.
Apart from the visible injuries, Harley also has internal smoke damage to his lungs and will remain hooked up to a respirator for the next few days to aid his breathing. The trauma has also taken its toll on other parts of his body, with Harley suffering a urinal infection, fluid on the lungs and bowel problems. Fortunately none have been serious.
"We see lots of badly burned children and certainly Harley's not the worst, but he's required a lot of effort to get him right," Dr Clarnette said.
Once the skin grafting is over, Harley will have to endure daily baths to change his dressings. When doctors are satisfied his grafts are taking, he will begin physiotherapy, which will involve being fitted with a compression suit to help heal the grafts. Doctors are hopeful that the grafts will stretch as Harley grows, eliminating the need for further operations, but it is too early to tell.
In the meantime, Mr Sharp and Ms Still will maintain their vigil with the support of friends and family and even some generous strangers.

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