Mum tells how she lost breasts as she 'went up in flames' as son aged 4 watched
A mum has recalled the horrific moment her four-year-old son watched her go up in flames in her garden - forcing doctors to surgically remove her charred breasts.
Chassidy Taylor, 33, from South Carolina, and her son Chandler decided to start a bonfire to burn some rubbish as her husband was at work and she was trying to find things to keep them occupied.
However, it turned out to be a life-changing incident for the family after the mum, who was still in her pajamas and dressing gown, lit the fire and headed back indoors to check on Chandler.
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She spent six months in hospital following the blaze (Chassidy Taylor/Facebook)Moments later she looked out to see the whole garden going up in flames and she ran out to try and put it out. It was then she saw a petrol can came rolling towards the porch and she kicked it. Rather than dealing with the problem it sprayed her with burning petrol.
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Chassidy, who revealed the incident happened in December 2022, told the Daily Mail: "Petrol splattered all over my body and I went up in flames. Weirdly I felt no burning but it was just hot.
"As if I was stood in front of the sun. As I was screaming and being burned alive, Chandler waddled towards the back door. He stood there, watching me, in shock. I realised my baby was going to see me die."
The mum suffered horrendous burns across her body (Chassidy Taylor/Facebook)The mum, who was terrified her son would see her die, said she remembered the fire safety catchphrase 'stop, drop and roll' from her school years.
Chassidy dropped to the ground and began rolling around and even managed to put herself out, but as she got back up, she was on fire again. She continued rolling over the grass until the fire was out.
At that moment, she was stunned to find all of her clothes had been burned off. "I looked down and saw my shoes, dressing gown, and pajamas had burned off. All that was left was my bare, naked body.
"There was blood everywhere. My flesh was burned and blistered, and skin was all over the grass. It was horrible but I was alive," she said.
The mum quickly grabbed her son and rushed to her neighbours where she was rushed to hospital before being airlifted to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre. Chandler meanwhile was collected from the neighbour's house by his aunt.
How Chassidy looked before the devastating fire (Chassidy Taylor/Facebook)During her hospital stay, it was revealed she had burned nearly 70 per cent of her body and had third and fourth-degree burns from her feet up to her neck. Her breasts were also burnt off - with only her face escaping devastating the burns.
Chassidy said: "I had a ton of skin grafts done from my back. And after two months there, I woke from surgery without my breasts.
"They had to remove them because the tissue was too damaged. I was devastated. I didn't recognize my own body, and no longer felt beautiful."
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After spending six months in hospital, she developed bone ossification which saw her left elbow and left knee calcifying over and made her unable to move. She was later forced to learn how to use a wheelchair just weeks later as she still couldn't walk.
Chassidy added: "Recovering from my burns, in a wheelchair, I had to accept my new reality. I began to struggle and had flashbacks of the fire and PTSD.
"I couldn't watch films with fire, or see fireworks. Chandler, who's now five, was traumatized too, he suffered from nightmares. He couldn't bear burgers due to its bloody flesh, and spaghetti sauce reminded him of my blood. So he stopped eating a lot of foods."
It was later revealed the huge flames started after she accidentally put a bug spray can on the fire.
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