LARGO, Fla. - Gary Hansen could have died on May 7, 1991.
“I was 42 years old doing stuff teenagers do,” he said.
Hansen was in a car fire that burned over 30 percent of his body. He was burned so badly that he lost the tip of his nose.
Skin grafts and reconstruction surgery helped heal his broken body.
But the scars remain.
“The pain was excruciating every time they changed a dressing,” he said.
His wife, Linda, described his recovery as “a roller coaster ride.” She watched him suffer through all of his treatments. For 18 days, doctors told her to take things day-by-day.
There was no guarantee he would survive.
The accident, which took place in St. Louis, Mo., inspired the couple to open a camp for burn survivors. Kids from all over the Midwest came to their camp to learn, for as Linda says, scars are “skin deep” and that the true measure of beauty comes from within.
The camp led Linda to publish a book. "Beauty Is…" is a collection of photos of children from the Hansens burn camp. Each person in the photo book, which was published six years ago, shares a story about how they were burned. They proudly show their scars.
“Every one of them smiles,” said Linda. “I still have contact with many of these children today.”
The gift of inspiring the kids was special for the Hansens. They now advocate for burn survivors, urging them to not use the term ‘victim’.
“I’m not a victim anymore,” said Gary. “It was hard for the first year or two to really believe that because I was suffering, but now, I’m certainly not a victim. I’m a survivor.”
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