Burn Recovery for Mary Anne

On July 28, Mary Anne, Kelley, and Ben Martel survived a horrific freak accident in Cliff Martel’s home in Weare, New Hampshire. Mary Anne was doused with gasoline and as she was on her way to the shower the pilot light on the stove connected to the fumes on her body and caused her to ignite. Kelley and Ben saved her life and Mary Anne was airlifted from Concord to Mass General to be treated for significant burns over most of her body, and while she’s in good spirits—she’s making friends with her nurses and caring about all of her caregivers and their individual life stories. But she has a long road to healing ahead of her and will be in the Burn Unit until at least August 10, possibly longer. She has already had one operation, and more are scheduled including skin grafts. Kelley and Ben have less significant injuries, but they have some healing to do, too. While a freak accident such as this would be reason enough to need support from friends and family, the timing is especially difficult. Kelley came from her home in California, Ben from New York City, and along with Mary Anne (who just ended her caregiving job in Peterborough ), the three of them have, instead, been providing round-the-clock care since March for Cliff (her ex-husband), who has Alzheimer’s. He was in need of a care home but due to COVID, all were shut down. Recently, they made the difficult decision to sell his house in order to provide him with the professional help required for safety. The unexpected event has delayed the sale of the house for various reasons, creating further financial stress. They will, understandably, need our help to the other side of this. Mary Anne specifically needs help with the many things needed for a burn victim. Knowing it’s a difficult time for everyone in the entire world makes the Martels all the more grateful for any help you can provide during these extraordinary circumstances.
Donations made will help with:
Unmet medical expenses including Medical treatments, supplies, Ambulance, and Airlift ambulance
Making a comfortable space in which Mary Anne can heal when she comes home (In-home care and equipment)
Home Rent and expenses (Kelley and Ben are unable to work at this time as they heal from their burns and care for Mary Anne)
Fire clean-up and repair
(Mary Anne is in the ICU Burn Unit now and facing numerous surgeries and we will update as her needs become more apparent).