Burn victim finds lots of support

Jonathan Bake stretches every hour to keep his skin mobile.

The Lewiston Orchards man also wears a neck brace much of the day to help the healing of second- and third-degree burns suffered when a flash of flames ignited as he poured kerosene on a burn barrel Nov. 4.

"It's not comfortable at all," he said of the neck brace, "but the outcome of it will be a lot better for me."

His recovery so far has been on schedule. Bake is back at home after five weeks at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent three surgeries to repair his skin from the burns.

But his injuries are also keeping the 27-year-old welder/fabricator out of commission for eight to nine months as the multiple skin grafts heal. Those injuries, coupled with increasing medical bills, have prompted friends to host a fundraiser for Bake from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Jan. 19 at the Bridge Street Pizza Hut in Clarkston, where 20 percent of dine-in/carry-out sales will go to his expenses.

"I've had a lot of support," he said, adding he's been fortunate to have friends and family around him.

The accident was not his family's first run-in with tragedy. His older brother Bradley died in a fire in 1997. Three years earlier, stepbrother Joshua Ruddell died of an accidental gunshot wound. Those losses affected his family on different levels, he said.

"In turn your family, you grow a lot closer together," Bake said, "grow stronger, closer."

Bake and his brother moved into the home on the 900 block of Bryden Avenue about a week before the accident. They were in the process of remodeling the kitchen when Bake decided to burn some flooring in the burn barrel between the home and its shop.

But kerosene made the flames burn too hot, and they flashed in his face.

"Right before it went off I heard a whistle sound," and caught a glimpse of a flash. He believes fire burned through his sweatshirt, because it was mostly gone when he attempted to pull it off. But it took some work to put out fire that ignited on the front half of his body.

"I actually had to pick a spot to lie down because there were droplets of fire all over the ground," he said.

It's at that point he drank some water and sat on the back porch. He called his mom, who dialed 911.

Bake spent a month at Harborview Medical Center, getting skin grafts to replace burns on his face, ears and chest. A pair of leather gloves prevented the flames from severely burning his hands, and Bake said the flames would have damaged his eyes had he not looked away.

"For some odd reason I took the grafts real good," Bake said, noting his injuries are healing well.

His front upper torso is mostly skin grafts, taken from his right leg. His leg was "a little hard to look at" in the beginning. But Bake is taking it all in stride. Life throws us each curveballs and this is just a "personal blow," he said.

Bake's family was with him at the Seattle hospital, where he continues to travel periodically for checkups. His mother, sister and grandmother are all nurses, and Bake said they are looking after his recovery.

The accident hasn't had a traumatic effect on his relationship with fire. His house is heated primarily with wood, and Bake said he's had to start the fire a few times since returning home.

"I was a little nervous at first; I'm not afraid of it," Bake said. "I can really feel the heat on my chest graft. It's just a lot more sensitive."

Bake is not supposed to do physical labor, and must keep his face out of the sun.

"Anytime I go out, I've just got to be careful," he said. It's a situation Bake will find himself in for the next eight or nine months, until he's 100 percent.

He piled up approximately $200,0000 in medical bills sustained from a flight to Seattle and hospital stay. Bake has insurance, but said the percentages insurance will pay are minute.

The support of friends and family has been overwhelming, he said. Bake, who's also trying to find a job he can do to fill the gaps until he's fully healed, said he didn't expect so much support.

"It's cool to have your friends show up to the hospital and bring you little things and keep your spirits up, but to have them go above and beyond to keep your spirits up is definitely a surprise," Bake said. "It's shown me really who my true, true friends are, and the length they will go for me."

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Gary may be contacted at bgary@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2262.