An Incredible Early Christmas Gift for a Wounded Firefighter

In 2001, Patrick Hardison was a 27-year-old volunteer firefighter in Mississippi. During a rescue search in a burning home, the roof collapsed on him and burned his protective mask onto his face. In a desperate attempt to survive, Hardison held his breath and jumped out a nearby window.

The fire left him severely disfigured. Fox 6 Now reported, “After Hardison had more than 70 surgeries, a member of his church in Senatobia, Mississippi, saw stories about a transplant performed by Rodriguez, who was then at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The church member reached out to Rodriguez, who later moved to NYU.” Hardison was placed on a waiting list for transplant surgery.

Incredible news after 14 years

After more than a decade of waiting, a donor was found; 26-year-old David Rodebaugh died in a biking accident. His organs were donated to others, but Dr. Rodriguez saw another potential for the deceased bike mechanic to help. Rodriguez and his team performed the most extensive face transplant surgery in history, giving Hardison an incredible gift for the holiday season.

During Hardison’s initial recovery from his injuries, his own children were afraid to look at him. He still participated in social events, but these were difficult, even traumatic, because of the attention his scarring garnered. After the successful transplant surgery, Dr. Rodriguez said, “He’s doing incredibly well today… We had a remarkable exchange when our staff took him to Macy’s to buy clothes and nobody stared at him… It was very emotional for us.”

Fire safety affects us all

Hardison’s journey serves as a reminder to all that fire safety affects everyone, from you and your loved ones to the first responders that help to put out a blaze. We at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, encourage everyone to be vigilant during this holiday season. In addition to Hardison’s experience, the American Red Cross offers this information about the need for caution during the holidays:

• Nearly 47,000 fires occur during the winter holidays, claiming more than 500 lives, causing more than 2,200 injuries, and costing $554 million in property damage.
• On average, one of every 22 home fires started by Christmas trees result in death.
• Candle fires are four times as likely to occur during the winter holidays.
• During the winter holiday season, an average of 40 home fires per day are caused by children playing.
• The number of home fires the American Red Cross has responded to has risen 10% since 2000.
• Having a working smoke alarm reduces one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.

For more fire safety tips, check out the American Red Cross’ Holiday Home Fire fact sheet. We hope that your holiday season is safe and joyful. Unfortunately, accidents happen all the time. When it comes to protecting your family, the experienced South Carolina catastrophic injury attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, can help. Contact us today or call 803-327-7800 for a free consultation.