Party Where Pain Goes Away : Burn Survivors Gather, Enjoy

Twelve-year-old Vinny Tanis of Huntington Beach clutched his freshly autographed photo of California Angels pitcher Terry Clark to his chest.

To tell the truth, he said, as he sat back down to attack a plateful of cookies, he wasn’t too sure who Clark was, but the picture would be added anyway to his collection of signed photographs, now spilling into a third scrapbook.

That Vinny, an aspiring pilot, would be collecting anything at all is rather remarkable, given that the boy suffered second- and third-degree burns over 85% his body in a gasoline explosion when he was just 13 months old. The skin grafts on his face, as well as a new ear just grafted on, are the result of the incident that happened beyond his memory.

On Thursday, he and dozens of other young Orange County burn survivors gathered at the Garden Grove Community Center for an annual Christmas party hosted by the Orange County Burn Assn. and the UC Irvine Burn Center. The children waited patiently for Santa Claus to arrive as a Christmas tree twinkled invitingly in the corner and gifts--most from private donors--were piled high on tables up front, attracting eager glances.

The burn association has put on a Christmas party for young survivors for the past 10 years. Formed in 1979 by firefighters throughout the county, families of burn survivors and the UCI Burn Center staff, the burn association is committed to providing support to patients and fire-safety education in county schools.

The first Christmas party resulted when officials “saw there was a need for the children to come together at Christmastime and for them to receive gifts,” said executive director Sue Cronin. Often very self-conscious about their appearance, young burn survivors needed the opportunity to celebrate without feeling inhibited.

And parents, many of them strapped by spiraling medical costs, were often in need of a break from the usual holiday expenses.

“The financial burden on a family for burn survivors is tremendous. The medical procedures themselves can last many years, and a lot of the families are hit hard,” said association board member Tom Handlan, who was burned over 95% of his body in a car accident 10 years ago.

“This party provides the enjoyment of the celebration of Christmas for those who would otherwise go without,” he added.

When two surprise visitors from the Magic Kingdom--Goofy and Pluto--joined the more than 200 guests Thursday, children squealed as they rushed to attach themselves to the characters like iron filings to a magnet. If there was any self-consciousness still in the children, it disappeared as scores of small hands shot out to grab a nose, a whisker, a tail.

Watching indulgently were the parents--among them Vinny Tanis’ mother, Rosemary, who along with her son attends monthly support meetings sponsored by the association. As she watched her son join in the fun, she thanked the staff.

“He’s been blessed,” she said. “And I’ve been blessed with him.”