Young man becomes a “living torch” because of smoking while filling up gas, having to undergo more than 20 surgeries

(Dan Tri) - An accident caused by smoking while filling up with gasoline left a young man with severe burns all over his body. Over the course of 14 years, the patient had to undergo more than 20 surgeries, accepting the risk of his life in the hope of regaining his life.

14 years, more than 20 surgeries to escape "vagrant life"

“There was a time when the doctor told me that if I had surgery, I would risk losing my life because the intervention was so close to my heart. I begged the doctor to do it, because if I didn’t do it, I would have a more miserable life…”, Mr. V. (29 years old, living in Khanh Hoa ) recalled one of his life-and-death surgeries, while preparing to enter a new treatment process.

In 2010, disaster struck the young man, who was then just a teenager. V. said that at that time, the pesticide sprayer in the house ran out of fuel, so he took the spare tank to fill it up like every day, while smoking a cigarette.

Young man with severe gasoline burns, waiting for treatment at Hospital 1A (Photo: BV).

Suddenly, the fire from the cigarette caught the gas tank and flared up, causing the young man to panic. In an instant, his whole body turned into a “living torch”, and the victim quickly fainted.

When he woke up, he found himself in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, suffering from severe burns. After about 2 months of treatment with complex surgeries, V. overcame the critical condition and was discharged from the hospital.

But the price to pay is too high, when the hospital bill is up to hundreds of millions of dong, along with a body deformed with many scars, with the skin on both arms contracted and stuck together, unable to do anything, even eating is difficult.

The patient's spirit was then severely depressed, because he thought he would have to suffer from disability and be a burden to his family for the rest of his life.

The gasoline burn accident left the young man's body severely deformed (Photo: BV).

During a follow-up visit in 2011, the young man was informed by another patient's family member that at the Ho Chi Minh City Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital (Hospital 1A) there was a humanitarian surgery project, performed by a team of domestic doctors in collaboration with international experts.

Not wanting to miss out on the glimmer of hope, a few days later, V. and his family quickly took a bus to Hospital 1A to register to participate. Here, he and dozens of other lucky cases were selected for free surgery and treatment.

Dr. Ngo Anh Tuan, Acting Director of Hospital 1A, recalled that when he received the above case, the patient had very severe burn scars, the skin on both sides of the armpits and neck was stuck together, making it very difficult to do daily activities, and he could not even lift his face up.

He and his medical team performed surgery to remove and graft skin from the patient’s armpit, then prescribed several weeks of physical therapy, stretching, and rehabilitation. The patient’s entire treatment costs were covered.

After more than 20 surgeries, the patient's motor function gradually improved (Photo: Hospital).

“I still remember the first surgeries, every time the patient went out at night, many people were scared, mistook him for a “ghost”, because his body was severely deformed. Gradually, whenever there was a surgery program, he regularly came to perform the surgery, and all for free.

To date, the patient has undergone more than 20 surgeries, each treatment lasting an average of 3 weeks. After 14 years of perseverance, V. has gradually recovered his motor functions, can lift his face, open his mouth, and stretch his arms well.

The most important thing is that he trusts the doctors very much, even though there were times when we advised him that the wound was complicated, stuck in dangerous positions, and could affect his life if surgery was performed.

But the patient was still determined to have surgery to regain his life," Dr. Tuan confided.

The patient's condition is assessed by doctors before the next surgery (Photo: Hospital).

Project brings hope of life to more than 400 patients

During this intervention, V. said that the doctors advised him to continue with the surgery to remove the skin from his left armpit, so that his arm could be opened and raised higher. No longer “useless” as he had previously thought, over the years the young man has been able to support his family by working as a delivery driver.

He shared happily that he is where he is today thanks to the kindness of doctors and nurses, who have prioritized supporting him in many humanitarian surgery projects.

“From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank Hospital 1A and the international experts for giving me the opportunity to regain my life. I hope other patients like me will have faith and always hope for a day of recovery,” the 29-year-old man expressed.

Mr. V. is one of the cases participating in the Surgicorp International Vietnam 2025 humanitarian surgery project, carried out by the medical team of Hospital 1A in collaboration with international experts of Surgicorp International.

Dozens of patients will have the opportunity to reconstruct their bodies and restore their functions when they come to the Surgicorp International Vietnam 2025 project (Photo: Hospital).

According to the plan, about 70 patients (out of 150 screened cases) will be supported with surgery, from October 27 to October 31. After surgery, they will be re-examined on November 4 to monitor the results and receive rehabilitation treatment.

The program aims to provide opportunities for physical regeneration, functional recovery and smiles for those with contracted burn scars, cleft lip, cleft palate, limb deformities, etc. in difficult circumstances, so that they can improve their quality of life and integrate into the community.

Since 2018, the project has supported surgery and treatment for a total of more than 400 patients.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/chang-trai-hoa-ngon-duoc-song-vi-hut-thuoc-khi-do-xang-di-mo-hon-20-lan-20251027134013955.htm