Following a traumatic event in her childhood, a grandma who is now 56 years old almost escaped death by surviving and thriving after what might have been a fatal accident. When Stasi Manser was five years old and living in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she was attempting to prepare her younger sister a bottle on the stove when she became enveloped in flames. She was given a 0% chance of survival following the incident, which occurred in 1969.
Stasi suffered burns of the third, fourth, and fifth degrees throughout the majority of her body as a result of the event. The mishap occurred when her nightgown caught fire while her parents were sleeping upstairs. When the fire was finally put out, practically every part of Stasi’s body had been scorched by the time it was over.
After the accident, she required end-of-life care and has had more than 200 procedures to this day; yet, Stasti, a mother of two who is now enjoying a successful profession in market research, managed to get married, have a family, and go on with her life in spite of the trauma she endured.
Stasi is quoted as saying, “I remember the day it occurred.” While I was standing on the stool and heating the milk, my dress became stuck in the flames. I attempted to put them out, but I was unable, so I phoned my mother for help.
‘When she discovered me in the kitchen, I was absolutely ablaze, so she placed a blanket around me and rolled me about on the floor. My whole body, or almost every inch of it, was scorched.
“It took the doctors a few weeks before they realized that I was going to make it,” she said. The medical staff was certain that I would not survive, and they gave me a 0% chance of survival.
After it occurred for the first time, I spent a whole year in the hospital, and I’ve had well over 200 procedures since then. Between the ages of nine and sixteen, I was admitted to the hospital thirty times for various illnesses.
Stasi, the oldest of four children, recounts that she was roused from a deep sleep in the early hours of December 5, 1969, by the sound of her younger sister sobbing in the room next door. Stasi was nine years old at the time. She said that rather than rousing her mother, she chose to try to prepare a bottle of milk for her sister on the stove in the kitchen downstairs rather than waking up her mother.
However, as she was standing on a stool in order to reach into a high cabinet above the scorching stove, her night dress caught fire, and she was quickly consumed by the flames. Stasi was on fire for a sufficient amount of time for the flames to consume a significant portion of her body.
Stasi was originally sent to two hospitals in the area for treatment, but those facilities were unable to assist her. She was then transferred to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary, which is located in Alberta.
“I remember being stood on the stool when my gown caught fire,” she recollected in her statement. Because I was unable to put an end to it, I was aware that I was getting into trouble.
We were taken to the hospital by a kind neighbor, but the prognosis was not good. After I had been there for six weeks, the physicians were basically sitting around waiting for me to pass away. Up until the point that I showed symptoms of pulling through, there was no rehabilitation plan.
“My mom was trained in to treat me at home, and throughout the first few years after the accident, I spent three or four months at a time in hospitals for reconstructive treatment and skin grafts,” the patient said.
Stasi continued by saying that she has lost track of the amount of treatments and surgeries that she has had over the course of her life. Even at this late stage, she continues to need ongoing therapy in order to heal the degenerative scar tissue.
Stasi was able to say that she faced the wrath of bullies who picked on her because of the way that she looked, which is remarkable considering that she was able to enjoy other aspects of school life like a regular schoolgirl.
“When I was a kid, I was bullied, and it made growing up extremely challenging for me.” I had the impression that I was either excluded from everything or singled out, but I did have some fantastic friends who were extremely protective of me and they made up for it.
‘I have a strong suspicion that the individuals who were rude to me lacked education and awareness. Being kind and caring has always been ingrained in my character. Even when I was a kid, I had a lot of energy, and even now, I lead a life that isn’t too out of the ordinary.
“I believe that the accident has made me the person that I am today, and I have never really felt sorry for myself because of who I am.” This is who I am, and I have shown a great deal of tenacity.’
Stasi has had several reconstructive surgeries to fix the injured skin on her face, neck, arms, and legs beginning in her youth and continuing into her adulthood.
Stasi, who now works part-time at a farm, has two adult children, a son named Keegan who is 32 years old and a daughter named Kiera who is 26 years old. She also has a granddaughter named Abigail who is one year old.
She has since divorced her spouse and is living on her own at this time. She feels that in order to realize her objective of leading a life that is full of fulfillment, she has had to be “strong.” Stasi has said that she is ‘proud’ of the person she has become and expressed a desire to utilize her past experiences to motivate and encourage others.
Stasi is one of the millions of people who have survived a burn injury and now calls North America home. For the last many years, she has used her platform as a public speaker to give back to the community of burn survivors.
She is a burn victim herself, and through her work with the BCPFF Burn Fund, she provides encouragement, guidance, and assistance to those in a similar situation.
Stasi shared her story with us, saying, “I am an example of how one can still live when something dreadful has occurred to them. I have two wonderful children, and I am now a grandmother.
“Encouraging people to talk to one another is the most effective way to bridge differences.” As someone who has experienced discrimination and injustice firsthand, including people looking or pointing at me as I was walking down the street, I feel compelled to attempt to educate others on the appropriate way to react when they come across someone who has a facial difference.
“We are all human beings, and the more open we are about these things, the easier it will get,” she said. “We are all human beings.”