A teenager who suffered severe burns covering more than half of her body has revealed doctors patched her up by using skin from a deceased donor.
Alexandra Hollingsworth, 18, caught fire after taking part in a dangerous game which involved igniting alcohol.
Sustaining burns to 52 per cent of her body, the woman from Memphis, has had more than 20 operations to help her recover.
Alexandra Hollingsworth, 18, caught fire after taking part in a dangerous game which involved igniting alcohol – but doctors patched her up by using skin from a deceased donor
Sustaining burns to 52 per cent of her body, the woman from Memphis, Tennessee, has had more than 20 operations to help her recover
These included skin grafts on her elbows, legs, thighs, back, arms and stomach, using flesh from her legs.
While skin from a cadaver – decellularised dermis – was used on her chest.
She said: ‘At first, it was weird because it was much darker than my skin tone but my body’s not rejecting it and I don’t think about it unless someone asks.
‘I have no idea who the donor is, I woke up and it was on my chest.
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‘I’m really grateful I was able to get that because I needed it and I’m happy that my body accepted it.’
Miss Hollingsworth’s life changed forever in July 2010.
She was playing with alcohol and matches with her brother David and cousin Benjamin at home while her mother was at work.
Some of their friends had shown them how to ignite a small flame, which previously they had managed to put out.
Doctors had cut her hair off (pictured) to make sure her scalp wasn’t burnt and she was wrapped in bandages
She had skin grafts on her elbows, legs, thighs, back, arms and stomach, using flesh from her legs. While cadaver skin was used on her chest (pictured as a toddler)
But this time it got out of hand as there was a sudden explosion, shortly before she was engulfed by a ‘hot, orange light’.
Frozen in shock, she heard a high-pitched ringing sound and realised she was on fire.
She ran into her mother’s room to remove her trousers and tried to take her shirt off, but was scared of it burning her face.
Her cousin – who escaped with no injuries – and brother then smothered her in a blanket to extinguish the flames – as her brother also suffered burns.
Miss Hollingsworth said: ‘The entire house was covered in soot and smoke and the floor of my mum’s room had caved in. I felt like my skin and eyelids were melting.
‘As we ran out of the house, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My arms were in shreds and skin was hanging off me.’
Miss Hollingsworth suffered nightmares for three years after the accident, which only stopped once her hair began to grow back and she slowly started feeling more like her old self (pictured when her hair started growing back)
Her brother David also suffered burns following the accident while her cousin Benjamin sustained no injuries
Miss Hollingworth said: ‘As we ran out of the house, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My arms were in shreds and skin was hanging off me’ (pictured in hospital)
The emergency services were called, and the pair were rushed to Methodist South Hospital in Tennessee.
They were later airlifted to Shriners Hospital for Children, Cincinnati.
There, medics confirmed Miss Hollingsworth had suffered the burns to her arms, stomach, back, thighs, hands and face, while her brother had 18 per cent burns to his chest and inner arms.
She then fell into a natural coma and woke up days later with a tube down her throat.
Miss Hollingsworth added: ‘My mum explained what had happened to me as I didn’t understand.
‘I fell asleep again because I was on so much medication. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I was properly awake and aware.’
Doctors had cut her hair off to make sure her scalp wasn’t burnt and she was wrapped in bandages.
She continued. ‘I didn’t recognise myself when I looked in the mirror.
At her lowest point, Miss Hollingsworth even had suicidal thoughts when she fell into a deep depression following the fire
Miss Hollingsworth stayed in hospital for two months while her brother was discharged after a few weeks and did not need surgery
‘I was hideous and embarrassed that other people had to see me like that.’
While her brother was discharged after a few weeks and did not need surgery, Miss Hollingsworth stayed in hospital for two months.
Her home also took about four years to be repaired, during which time the family stayed with family and in rented accommodation, before moving back home.
SKIN FROM DEAD PEOPLE HEALS WOUNDS FASTER
Skin taken from the dead could soon be used to treat wounds in the living.
Researchers have found skin taken from cadavers stripped of its cells – decellulised dermis – is effective in healing acute wounds, such as burns, as well as painful ulcers.
They believe the new treatment could be used to treat wounds that do not easily heal by themselves, which cost the US alone more than $25 billion (£17 billion) a year.
For decades, scientists have developed increasingly effective skin substitutes to help treat wounds.
A team of researchers led by Ardeshir Bayat, a bioengineer at the University of Manchester, used human skin from cadavers, which they decontaminated with antibiotics.
In the wake of the fire Miss Hollingsworth fell into a deep depression, feeling ‘like a monster’ whenever she looked in the mirror.
At her lowest point, she even had suicidal thoughts.
She said: ‘Luckily I was home-schooled but when I left the house to go to the shop I could feel other kids pointing and laughing at me.
‘I just wanted everyone to leave me alone.’
For three years, she suffered with terrifying nightmares, which only stopped once her hair began to grow back and she slowly started feeling more like her old self.
Though she still has days where she feels self conscious, she is now mostly in a good place and thinks of her scars as ‘interesting’ rather than ‘hideous’.
Now, she is using her harrowing experience to help others, by working as a volunteer counsellor for burns survivors.
She said: ‘I can really empathise with the kids and love working with them.
‘Knowing what I went through definitely helps them to trust me.
‘Fire is not something to be played with. It’s not worth it.’
She still has days where she feels self conscious, she is now mostly in a good place and thinks of her scars as ‘interesting’ rather than ‘hideous’