Support Hunter Donahue's Burn Recovery

Hunter Donahue sustained 3rd and 4th degree burns to 30% of his body on July 6th in a fireworks incident while trying to protect others. He was flown via AirEvac to the burn unit in Plano for treatment. The road to recovery for burn victims is long, arduous, and costly. He will be unable to work for many weeks maybe even months. Please consider assisting with various medical expenses as Hunter heals. The family has been very appreciative of the communities kind words and meals. They thank you.

Here are some updates from mom:

7/7/24

Now that all the important people know and we've had some time to address what has gone on I want to tell my friends thank you and how much your calls and texts have meant to us since last night.

Last night we were a house divided at different gatherings. Hunter was at some of our dearest friends house on the south side of town. Yes, this is a yearly gathering of neighbors and coworkers for great food and fireworks. In true Hunter fashion, with his helping heart, he was assisting with the firework show. While they had an amazing set up with all kinds of safety features, something went wrong. Very wrong. When Hunter heard a sound he didn't like he turned to get away. The entire supply of fireworks lit up together. Hunter attempted to gather all the small people he could and shield them from the blasts. His clothes caught fire and he took several mortar shells to the head and back. Wise county EMS took great care of him. AirEvac got him to the hospital quickly. The Med City Plano ER and I will have a different conversation later. However, the floor has taken great care of him.

He has 3rd degree burns on multiple areas and will require surgery with possible skin graphs.

We have a long road ahead and will need lots of help.

For now, he wants his friends. Please text me for directions and when you want to visit.

7/8/24

It's been almost 48 hours. We are so thankful for everyone's calls, text, donations, and visits. I've been told his boots he was wearing look fine. Thank God for them or his leg would be worse.

He is officially on the surgery schedule for tomorrow. We have been told that he is the worst case they have seen this season‍. However, every dressing change looks better and better to me. I do not accept the grim like communication the surgeon had to give. After all, it helps to wash the debris and ash off in order to evaluate a wound properly before making such comments.

Hunter has been doing great with PT. He has really enjoyed his visitors. The Lego build sets were a big hit today. He was going stircrazy.

I want to thank everyone that has gone out if their way to check on us. Reality of the bills are starting to run through my head. We will find out just exactly how good HCA insurance is for their employees. I promised our AirEvac peeps that we would go visit after he is released. He has been placed on several churches prayer lists. Our community is amazing. There is a meal train page if you would like to help with that.

7/9/24

Some of the wounds were deep and we knew that going in. He is in recovery now. They cleaned out his burns. Some were 3rd degree and deeper. He has a mixture of Permaderm and cadaver skin covering those. The next 24 hours will be about pain control, wound care, and mobility. Depending on that he may go home before the weekend.

We can not express how grateful we are to have our son alive and not disfigured. Not everyone gets that lucky. Thank you again for checking on us and giving so much support. The next several weeks will be rough. He will have appointments every week to check on the growth of the new skin. The synthetic skin will have to be removed in 2 weeks. It is our impression that he may have to have several more procedures. He will need daily dressing changes especially for the back of his head.

He will not be able to work for a bit and we will have to call the college and see about his welding class.

7/10/24

Update, the day has been productive. He got some friend time and made a tiktok. We moved his room. I've got some pads for home. Someone donated a shower chair and a hospital bedside table. We got some pillow protectors and mattress protector for his bed along with some sheets. The bed has been elevated with risers. All of his treats have been added to the bedside table in his room. His TV is ready for whatever gaming device he wants. I've been told the Amazon list has been completely purchased. My snl, niece, and mom came over to help clean up a bit, a lot. I just hope I'm thinking of everything.

Thank you to everyone for everything.

Ok all my home health peeps. Hunter can go home. However, we are going through paper chucks like crazy with the blood and drainage from his wounds. They are pretty pricey. What resources do you have and where can I get the best deal on them?

I'm also going to run home and start working on his room. Getting in and out of his bed might be difficult. We may need a twin that sits up higher. Anybody have something like that?

He will have dressing changes weekly and another surgery with a skin graph in 2 weeks.