Beckett’s Story

Burn care from Niswonger Children’s Hospital

It was a parent’s worst nightmare. Six-year-old Beckett’s mom Sarah says she was just a few feet away when she turned just in time to see him lean forward to roast a marshmallow as his chair tipped forward, propelling his whole body into the blazing campfire. Arriving at Niswonger Children’s Hospital Emergency Department with third-degree burns, Beckett spent weeks getting treatment and pain relief to help him get back to a life filled with flag football, dirt biking and running “wide-open.”

But that June night on the family camping trip, Beckett’s parents weren’t sure what his life would be like after he landed on his knees in the firepit and grabbed the metal fire ring with his hand. In a panic, they snatched him from the fire, doused him with water and tried to keep him calm. He was burned all over, but fortunately, the fire didn’t touch his face.

At Niswonger Children’s Hospital the staff helped calm them all, says Sarah. Brad Feltis, MD, gave Beckett IVs and pain medication and sedated him to clean and debride his wounds. Beckett stayed in the hospital for three days, then had to return to have his wounds cleaned and debrided again.

“The staff there – that is their calling. They have all been angels.”

“They knew exactly what to do whether it was giving Beckett a monster truck to distract him or making sure I knew what to do at home to take care of him. They reassured me that it was normal when Beckett was in pain and couldn’t walk after his treatments, and that he was going to be ok. I still text his nurse when I have concerns.”

One month after the accident, Beckett was back to being “all boy,” his mom says. He’s playing flag football again (with knees carefully wrapped), enjoying kindergarten, riding his dirt bike, romping with goats on the family’s Bristol, Virginia, farm and dreaming of one day becoming a “rambler” (his word for auctioneer), like the ones who fascinate him at the livestock auctions his family attends.

“Beckett is back to all his activities because of the team at Niswonger Children’s Hospital,” says Sarah. “What I like to tell other parents is that if your child has an accident or a trauma event, you need to go straight to Niswonger Children’s Hospital.”

Want to learn more about Niswonger?

The Niswonger Children’s Network is dedicated to improving the health and future of the Appalachian Highlands through expert pediatric care so that we can share more heartwarming stories like Beckett’s.

Read more Niswonger Children’s Stories here.