After a long day of yard work for Tara & I and playing for the kids, we were looking forward to a relaxing evening. My Dad & Mom had stopped by to exchange some plants for our respective yards, and margaritas had been made. Tyler helped light the gas grill and we were waiting for it to warm up while the four adults worked on planting one of the new plants in the back yard.

    While we were planting the previously mentioned plant Tyler went to the grill to either put some baked potatoes on it or to check on them (we aren't really sure at this point), and when he opened the grill a large fireball came at him. Between the loud screams and the sound of the fireball, we all new something was wrong and took off after him. By the time we all gathered at the kitchen sink to run his burns under the water (we used cold, but learned from the burn unit that tepid water is the way to go) most of the first layer of skin on his left forearm had already peeled off. We could see that he was missing some of his eyebrows and that all of the hair on his head had been singed. After rinsing him off in the sink and then putting him in the shower for a couple of minutes, Tara & I took him to the ER to get checked out. The final result was a second degree burn on his left forearm, and first degree burns on his face and right forearm.

    As it has been a few days between the actual accident and the time I have posted this, the burns on his face appear worse than what we originally thought. The skin on his nose and cheeks is peeling away, and his lips are burned as well. It hurts for him to open his mouth due to the burns on his cheeks, as well. He doesn't really seem to be in major pain, which is good. As long as he stays on his medication and gets rest, he seems to remain in good spirits.

    The follow-up with the burn unit at Hurley Hospital went well. They seem to think that scarring won't be an issue at this point, although sensitivity will be for a while. He is to remain out of school for at least the rest of the week, and he cannot play in any of his teams baseball games for at least two weeks, although he can play catch (which is a good exercise for him to stretch out his skin). As I get more information I will certainly pass it on.

Tyler's Burns - May 30th
	Although it is fairly difficult to see in this photo, Tyler suffered first degree burns on his face.
	The most severe burns were to his left forearm, which were second degree.
	Tyler had several large blisters near his wrist.
	Another look at Tyler's arm and face, close to 24 hours after the incident occurred.
	Tyler's arm bandaged for the night after having the lotion applied to it.
	One more look at Tyler, ready to head to bed for the night after being bandaged and medicated.

    Here are a couple more pictures from Wednesday, June 2nd.

Tyler's Burns - June 2nd
	Although Tyler is in pain in this picture, it is because he has just had his arm cleaned. Normally he is in very good spirits considering what happened - he even makes jokes about grilling.
	Tyler's arm after his visit to the burn unit at Hurley Hospital. They cleaned all of the dead skin off his arm, which he said really hurt. Aside from the redness, his arm actually looks very good at this point and time.