Jen Bennett, a mother of three from Ravenna, Mich., was working hard to get healthier for her family in 2022. Ten months before the accident, Jen had gastric sleeve surgery.
“I don’t think I would have survived what happened, if I hadn’t been working towards a healthier lifestyle,” she said.
She had just stopped over at her in-laws to pick up her two younger daughters on Oct. 20 when all that came to a stop.
While the kids played, Jen had stopped to talk to her family around the fire pit in their driveway. Her father-in-law went to add more gas on the fire, and due to the fumes the fire suddenly shot up and hit Jen directly.
“It happened so fast, it was truly an accident,” she said. “I saw it come at me, and I braced myself. I’m not a runner, so I froze. Unfortunately, my fight or flight did not work.”
The flames hit her shins and rose quickly around her body. She managed to hit the ground, but the fire kept reigniting around her legs. Everybody quickly jumped into action, with her father-in-law putting the flames out by jumping on Jen and getting burned himself in the process.
Jen and her father-in-law were taken to Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids where they both received skin grafts. She spent two weeks recovering from her burns, which covered her body from her face all the way down to her legs.
When talking about the toll the accident took on her, Jen says, “It was rough. Mentally it took me a long time. I needed to grieve and go through my anger. I’m thankfully on the other end of it. I like sharing my story because it could be helpful to someone else who is going through unbelievable pain, because I was in so much pain.”
Prior to her accident, Jen wasn’t familiar with the power of tissue donation.
“My mind is just blown by all that tissue can do and how it can help others along the way,” she said. “This has taught me how important it is to take care of your skin.”
Now two years later, Jen’s body has healed, and she is no longer experiencing pain from her burns. She shares her story in hopes to inspire others who are facing difficult situations or struggling mentally.
“This has changed my life so much,” she said. “I really delved into not living in that trauma and getting past it. I have healed so wonderfully; I’m progressing better than they anticipated. I’m very grateful for the gift I did receive. The donors, their families don’t understand they saved my life. There is so much hope on the other side.”
The impact of tissue donation cannot be overstated. For those who have experienced traumatic accidents or debilitating diseases, tissue donation offers a lifeline to improved health and enhanced quality of life. Signing up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry also registers you as a tissue and eye donor. To one day save a life like Jen’s, visit golm.org/register.
Hear her story:
