Cooking Leads to Tragedy, Heroism
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Aaron [email protected]
Flames from the cooking surface managed their way to Stephens’ clothing, and they grew from there, up the 82-year-old woman’s arm and shoulder area in a flash.
Burning and panicked, Stephens screamed across the home for her daughter, who lived with her in Stephens’ eldest son’s home.
Belva Stephens, 39, rushed to the kitchen, and without hesitation, pulled the sink sprayer out, flipped on the water and doused the flames that had encapsulated her mother’s upper left side.
Belva Stephens has Down syndrome, and as Lexie Stephens recovers from the incident inside the burn center at St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, family is lauding Belva Stephens as a hero.
“She’s been walking around the hospital saying that she’s a hero, and we’re calling her a hero,” said cousin Paula Stephens.
Lexie Stephens suffered second-degree burns on her hand, neck, arm and back. She has third-degree burns along her upper arm, where the fire burned longest. Her ear sustained burns and a portion of her hair was singed off.
She’s alive, though, and in relatively good, positive spirits.
“If Belva didn’t do what she did, she probably would have perished,” Paula Stephens said.
Burn center doctors are holding off surgery to see if the deep burns heal on their own, fearing the elderly woman’s diabetes could affect surgery.
So as they let Lexie Stephens heal, the family - more than 100 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren among them - is parading quick-acting Belva Stephens as the hero that kept the family matriarch with them.
Belva Stephens, proud as she is, just wants to get back to the bingo hall with her mother.[[In-content Ad]]
Flames from the cooking surface managed their way to Stephens’ clothing, and they grew from there, up the 82-year-old woman’s arm and shoulder area in a flash.
Burning and panicked, Stephens screamed across the home for her daughter, who lived with her in Stephens’ eldest son’s home.
Belva Stephens, 39, rushed to the kitchen, and without hesitation, pulled the sink sprayer out, flipped on the water and doused the flames that had encapsulated her mother’s upper left side.
Belva Stephens has Down syndrome, and as Lexie Stephens recovers from the incident inside the burn center at St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, family is lauding Belva Stephens as a hero.
“She’s been walking around the hospital saying that she’s a hero, and we’re calling her a hero,” said cousin Paula Stephens.
Lexie Stephens suffered second-degree burns on her hand, neck, arm and back. She has third-degree burns along her upper arm, where the fire burned longest. Her ear sustained burns and a portion of her hair was singed off.
She’s alive, though, and in relatively good, positive spirits.
“If Belva didn’t do what she did, she probably would have perished,” Paula Stephens said.
Burn center doctors are holding off surgery to see if the deep burns heal on their own, fearing the elderly woman’s diabetes could affect surgery.
So as they let Lexie Stephens heal, the family - more than 100 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren among them - is parading quick-acting Belva Stephens as the hero that kept the family matriarch with them.
Belva Stephens, proud as she is, just wants to get back to the bingo hall with her mother.[[In-content Ad]]
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