Burn Victim Who Beat the Odds Is Reunited With Hospital Staff
Gavin Sweezie had third-degree burns over 80% of his body when he was pulled from the burning wreckage of his family’s motor home on the Golden State Freeway in Burbank a year ago.
His family was traveling to Disneyland from British Columbia--their first trip in the motor home--when a crash with a tractor-trailer truck killed Gavin’s stepfather, mother and sister.
Gavin, 14, was airlifted to Los Angeles Childrens Hospital, where doctors gave him a 1% chance of survival. He beat the odds.
After eight months of rehabilitation in Vancouver, Gavin returned to the hospital Thursday and staffers hosted a party for him.
Doctors called Gavin’s recovery remarkable. He was even able to keep a goal of going skiing last winter. His father said that while his physical recovery has been stunning, he needed to come back to the hospital to move forward emotionally.
Gavin remembers the voices he heard while in the hospital’s intensive care unit, but he did not remember the hospital because he was sedated for almost his entire stay.
He heard the voices again on Thursday. Now, he can put faces on them.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
