Mother's guilt after hot drink gives baby life-long burn scars

A Crawley mum whose baby was scarred by a hot drink has described the guilt she feels.
jpco-9-10-13 Catherine Grimsey with her son Alfie, 4,daughter Ella, 3, and 18-month-old daughter Lola. Raising money for Children's Burns Unit (Pic by Jon Rigby)jpco-9-10-13 Catherine Grimsey with her son Alfie, 4,daughter Ella, 3, and 18-month-old daughter Lola. Raising money for Children's Burns Unit (Pic by Jon Rigby)
jpco-9-10-13 Catherine Grimsey with her son Alfie, 4,daughter Ella, 3, and 18-month-old daughter Lola. Raising money for Children's Burns Unit (Pic by Jon Rigby)

Catherine Grimsey’s daughter Lola-Madison poured a cup of tea over herself causing serious burns across nine per cent of her body when she was just 11-months-old.

Catherine, a mother-of-three from Bewbush, recalled the moment she watched Lola, now 18 -months-old, crawl over to her partner Lawrence’s mug of tea.

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She said: “She got hold of daddy’s cup of tea which he put down for a slight second.

“There was a horrendous amount of screaming.”

Lola was taken to the burns unit at Bromsfield Hospital for skin grafts.

Catherine, 28, explained the operation: “They basically use a potato peeler type instrument to scrape a section of skin off the thigh or buttock and put it onto the area that’s burnt.

“Now she’s got a scar the whole length of her thigh as well.

“Lawrence feels incredibly guilty. I feel just as guilty.

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“As she grows up she will need to come to terms with having scars and being different.”

Lola will have to go to hospital regularly for the next 15 years to control the scars.

She has to wear pressure garments to keep the skin smooth for the next 18 months and the scars have to be massaged three times a day.

She also has physiotherapy to ensure the scars do not pull across her elbow and stop movement.

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Catherine is raising money for Children’s Burns Trust by holding a sponsored 5k toddle around Tilgate Park on November 17.

She said the charity offered her support, advice and opportunities to meet other children and families that understood what they had been through.

She will carry out the toddle with six friends who have all been through difficulties with their children and each will raise money for a charity which has helped them.

To donate to any of the mothers in the toddle visit: justgiving.com/teams/littleonesmakingabigdifference

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