Burn
victim Roach leaves hospital
20-year-old
Allyson spent 82 days in UCSD unit
By
Kristen Green
STAFF WRITER
January 16, 2004
Even
her parents have difficulty believing it's true – after 82 days in the UCSD
burn unit, Allyson Roach has left the hospital to begin rehabilitation.
At UCSD Medical Center,
she was on a ventilator, her body covered in dressings. Her parents and doctors
wondered if she could survive burns to 85 percent of her body. She'd have to
undergo skin grafts and surgeries to remove parts of her fingers.
They worried about her
spirit, and they worried that if she contracted an infection, the flu or
pneumonia, they could lose her.
So for nearly three
months, things have been touch-and-go. Allyson's mom, Lori Roach, said she felt
as if she were holding her breath.
Yesterday brought relief
when Allyson was moved to a North County rehabilitation center.
"I can
breathe," Lori Roach said. "I feel the weight of the world has been
taken off my shoulders."
Allyson, a 20-year-old
college student, was burned trying to flee the Paradise fire. Her 16-year-old
sister, Ashleigh, died in the fire, and her brother, Jason, 22, also was
burned, though not severely. John and Lori Roach escaped uninjured.
The fire destroyed the
family's Valley Center home.
Most of Allyson's time in
the hospital was a haze, her mother said. She was heavily sedated and she lost
her sense of time. Until last week, she didn't even know her sister was gone.
When she asked about
Ashleigh, her parents called in the family pastor and tried to help her deal
with her grief.
Through the whole ordeal,
Allyson has been incredibly strong-willed, her mother said. Now she begins the
difficult process of preparing to go home, which for now is the house her
parents have rented in Escondido while their home is being rebuilt.
Yesterday, she started
what will become a daily routine – three hours of therapy. Lori Roach, a nurse,
said it will be the toughest workout Allyson's ever had.
She'll be stretching the
tight skin that covers her wounds, gaining the strength it takes to stand up,
and learning to care for herself without parts of her fingers. She'll also have
her tracheostomy removed, so that she'll be able to eat and speak.
Already, she has come a
long way.
She can sit on the edge
of her bed and breathe without the help of a ventilator. She communicates with
her parents by nodding her head and using letters on a board to ask them
questions.
She seems excited to be
in a more comfortable environment, her mother said. Yesterday, John and Lori
Roach took a DVD player and movies to her new room. And now that she's not at
such a huge risk of infection, she can have more visitors and plants in her
room.
Next on Lori Roach's list
for Allyson – a huge bouquet of fresh flowers.
Kristen Green: (619) 542-4576; kristen.green@uniontrib.com