Family Health Magazine - Fall/Winter 2003 - Saint Barnabas Medical Center

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Family Health Magazine - Fall/Winter 2003

Burn Survivor Helps Others

For the past ten years, Keith Kohlhepp has attended the monthly Burn Peer Support Group meetings held at The Burn Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. The meetings are an opportunity for him to assist the members of a support group that was critical to his own recovery from a burn injury in 1992.

“The group helped me so much, and it still does,” relates Mr. Kohlhepp. “I hope that I can help the new patients understand that they do have a future and that they will get back as much as they give.”

The Accident

A decade ago, Mr. Kohlhepp, an electrician, had an accident at work that would alter his life forever. He had been called to the site of a commercial building to install new wiring for a tenant. While working with his partner on a piece of electrical switch gear, something radically malfunctioned.
“I saw a bright ball of fire come out of the switch gear and hit me,” says Mr. Kohlhepp. “It blew me backwards. I was in total shock because I knew I was on fire.”

His mid-chest, hands, arms and face all caught fire, leaving a burn over 32 percent of his body. Mr. Kohlhepp’s partner acted quickly, burning his own hands as he patted out the flames. NorthSTAR, the N.J. Emergency Helicopter System was contacted and then flew Mr. Kohlhepp to The Burn Center at Saint Barnabas, the state’s only certified burn center.

In the months that followed, Mr. Kohlhepp underwent skin grafting from his thighs onto his hands, chest and arms. Despite the long days of discomfort, Mr. Kohlhepp recalls that the Burn team made the experience more bearable.

In particular, he credits the Burn Peer Support Group led by Susan Fischer, L.C.S.W., Burn Center Social Worker, with helping to reestablish his emotional well-being.

“After the accident, I had so many things to think about. I worried about what I was going to look like and if I would be able to go back to the same job. Talking with others who had experienced the same thing made me feel better.”

Helping Himself by Helping Others

At the monthly support group meetings, new and former patients share practical information on topics such as skin care and therapy, as well as exploring social and emotional issues. Mr. Kohlhepp speaks with new patients about the occasional stares or questions they might receive from strangers who are curious about their burn scars.

“Everyone has a certain amount of vanity and sometimes it is difficult to deal with a visible burn,” he says. “I tell them to cope with it the best they can and try to offer support. This is something that they are going to see every day when they look in the mirror. Sometimes knowing that you are not alone makes it easier to handle.”

While his goal is to help new patients get back on their feet, Mr. Kohlhepp finds that the monthly visits to The Burn Center renew his own emotional well-being.

“So many of the patients inspire me,” he relates. “I spoke with one boy who had been badly scarred on his face and body. His total outlook was so incredible and positive. He knew that he was still the same person on the inside. People need to know that. They also need to know that their loved ones and their true friends will love and accept them no matter what.”

To reach The Burn Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, please call (973) 322-5920. Tax deductible contributions to the Saint Barnabas Burn Foundation can be sent to 94 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston NJ 07039. For more information, call (973) 322-4344.

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