Stares difficult for burn victim

Press, 14 August 1989, Page 8

Stares difficult for burn victim

By

JANE DUNBAR

The curious, horrified and sometimes hostile stares of people in the street are the most difficult thing a person who has been disfigured by burns has to deal with, says a visiting American. Learning to live with people staring was a big hurdle for burns survivors, said Mr Alan Breslau, in Christchurch yesterday. He. should know. In 1963 he survived an airline crash, with 45 per cent of his body badly burned and his face almost destroyed. But after plastic surgery on 52 occasions, he took up his life again with a vengeance, and has worked hard at offering support and advice to others. He has been in New Zealand this month for lectures and medical seminars, and spent time with the Canterbury Burn Support Group over the week-end.

A person who has been badly burnt firstly suffered unbearable pain, he said.

But even when the pain eased, and the person had started to accept their disability and disfigurement, there was the problem of public staring to deal, with. ■' A ■ • -

Mr Breslau tells other burns survivors that the trick is to turn this into an advantage. “By being different, people recognise you more easily. And if you behave in a way which makes people fell less nervous and uncomfortable, they’ll lay out the carpet for you,”, he says. People could never be stopped from staring as they were naturally curious about anyone who looked different. The thing to do was to say to the person staring: “I notice you staring... I was burned.” Or for the person doing the staring to ask “What happened?” This could establish a rapport and friendship. People who survived the terrible ordeal of being burned were mostly stronger and more compassionate people, said Mr Breslau. They were also more determined. “You’ve been tested by the worst ordeal, so you can lick any other problem. You have a feeling of invincibility.” The director of the Canterbury Burn Support Group, Mrs Lyn Mallon, said her organisation worked closely with Burwood Hospital and other health agencies to help burns survivors. i