Samyuktha's Healing Journey After Burn Injury

Samyuktha was 7 when she was badly burned near her home in Chennai, India, in December of 2019.

She was lighting lamps with her grandmother during the annual festival of light, wearing one of her favorite long gowns. As Samyuktha continued lighting the lamps, she did not realize that her gown had caught on fire. The flames quickly spread across her body and the family rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she stayed in the intensive care unit for three months. During that acute phase of her recovery, Samyuktha had approximately 20 surgeries to address her wounds.

After she returned home, Samyuktha’s family sought help from the Children’s Burn Foundation as they explored advanced treatment options for her injuries. The foundation identified Shriners Children’s Boston as the best place for pediatric burn care. The foundation connected her family with Shriners Children’s Boston and care manager Sandy Barrett. “We were fortunate to come in contact with Sandy, who really stepped in to help us,” said her father, Rajarajan. “She made a huge difference in guiding us to get the right care for Samyuktha at Shriners.”

The family arrived at Shriners Children’s Boston in May 2021, about a year and a half after her injury. Samyuktha began outpatient care and continued her rehabilitation. During this phase of her recovery, doctors in Boston continued to perform surgeries as needed.

Since her accident, Samyuktha has gone through multiple surgeries, including skin grafts, releases, z-plasty and laser treatments, both in India and in Boston. She will require further surgeries and ongoing laser treatments at Shriners Children’s Boston as she gets older.