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BETO AKA DAILY DIVINITY COACH

BURN SURVIVOR - MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER - SPIRITUAL COUNSELOR

BURN SURVIVOR

With a heart full of gratitude and a passion to fulfill God's plan for my life, I am compelled to share my miraculous story of hope and survival. I narrowly escaped a fire that left me physically and emotionally scarred, but I rejoice in the miracle that saved my life. 

 

In the early-morning hour of October 12, 2023, I was awakened by a fire explosion that erupted directly below my apartment and immediately began engulfing the 16-unit building.

 

The blaring voice of the building fire alarm system shouting, “Fire! Fire! Fire!” alerted me to immediately flee for my safety. ​When I opened the door to my second-floor apartment to escape wearing only a t-shirt, blue jeans, and no shoes, I was instantly enveloped in harrowing clouds of dense, dark smoke. 

 

​​Frantically looking for a way to escape, I rapidly surveyed two possible avenues. To my right, the staircase leading to the building’s front entrance, the nearest exit, was not a viable option because thick clouds of smoke and flames were rushing up from downstairs and blocking the exit. The other option was to escape through one of my second-floor windows, but the flames from the fire were billowing up from the windows below.

 

A quick decision needed to be made. I dashed left through the hallway towards the rear exit, my only remaining pathway to escape. As I fled, I was knocked to the burning ground by the fire chasing me.

 

I had inhaled a dangerous amount of smoke and was suffering from a collapsed lung, cyanide poisoning, impaired vision, and severe second-degree burns to my face, head, body, and feet.​ As I was losing consciousness, I knew I had to react fast because no one would reach me in time.

 

I did not want to accept the inevitable that this was the end. ​​A singular thought flooded my mind: "I want to see my sons. I must live for them. They still need me.”

 

Then, I thought about my recently deceased mother. Just a few days prior, I had attended her funeral services.

 

In a moment of desperation, I reached out to my mother yelling, "Mom, help me! Help me! Help me, Mom!" Miraculously through God’s intervention, she appeared to hear my pleas.

One of heaven's newest angels came to rescue her son. She gave me the will to peel myself from the burning floor and get up on my scorched bare feet. Catastrophically injured, disoriented, and yet determined, I leaned on the shoulder of my guardian angel and was miraculously guided out of the raging fire in the building.

 

With no vivid memory of those final steps to safety, I found myself outside the burning building. Yet, I was still on fire!

 

I needed help. I found a compassionate neighbor who let me into her home. Inside, I doused myself with water from the bathroom to quell the flames.

No longer on fire, I returned outside and on my charred bare feet I walked 100 meters over pavement and a dirt patch to an awaiting ambulance. It immediately transported me the four miles to the MASS General Emergency Room, where I was administered medication to ease the indescribable pain.

From the ER, I was admitted to the Hospital Burn Intensive Care Unit, where nurses began the process of working on my life-threatening burn injuries. I spent 8 days and 7 nights in the ER, Burn ICU, and Burn Inpatient Unit.

 

While in the Burn Unit, I was in a delicate state with the threats of pneumonia and infection looming. Luckily, neither of those threats occurred. At the same time, I was also closely monitored for the need for graft surgery, which never manifested itself.

From there, I was discharged from the hospital and into the care of the Burn Outpatient Unit. Traveling nurses along with an occupational therapist visited me while I was sheltered in a hotel as the entire apartment building was condemned. 

My escape through the smoke and fire was the most precarious of all my neighbors because my apartment was directly above the explosion. I was quickly surrounded by smoke and flames. As a result, I was the only resident who sustained life-threatening burn injuries.

I am forever grateful for the world-class medical care I received and the outpouring of love and support from my two sons, extended family including my two tías, close friends, dear colleagues, and concerned neighbors and community members.

 

On reflection, I lost all my material goods in the fire that morning, but I feel eternally blessed by the miracle of my life being spared. I feel that my mother, my guardian angel, not only supported me as I navigated my way out of the fire but is also serving as my guiding angel leading me towards a brand-new life.

 

Currently, my prognosis points to a full recovery from all my burn injuries, and I am working through the associated emotional trauma. I am aided in my emotional recovery by the Burn Survivors of New England peer support group, the most resilient group of people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

 

I feel good and look forward to a bright future.

Published 01.24.2024

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