Lakeland graduate recovering from burns
Taylor Mikesell is improving from severe burns, but she still struggles with how a fun outing with friends took a dramatic turn.
The 19-year-old and 2010 Lakeland High graduate was released from the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Sunday, but she's expected to remain at the facility three to four more weeks after being burned in a bizarre incident at her Rathdrum area home on March 13, her mother Rose Ann said.
Taylor and friends were standing near a bonfire when her boyfriend threw a bucket of gas on the fire.
"He came around the corner with the gas and didn't warn anyone that he was throwing it on the fire," Rose Ann said on Wednesday from Seattle. "It exploded and caught her on fire. She has cerebral palsy, so her reflexes are not as good as some people (to flee).
"Before she could even think, she dropped to the ground and started rolling. She said she didn't know what happened; she just dropped when her hair and face caught on fire."
Taylor was transported to Harborview that day. About 30 percent of her body was burned, including various areas of her front side from her head to her legs, Rose Ann said.
Rose Ann said she's hopeful that changes to the appearance of her daughter's face will be limited.
"Her face looks way better than it did," she said.
She said Taylor's 10-year-old sister's alertness to notify their dad Jeff, a trauma nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center, limited the amount of damage.
Jeff doused Taylor with cold water from a hose.
"That probably salvaged her face," Rose Ann said. "She's lucky. It could've been even worse."
Taylor had skin grafts on her thighs and will learn on Friday whether she has to have skin grafts on her neck.
"Friday is the date we'll find out quite a bit from the surgeons," Rose Ann said.
Taylor has a lot of questions about the incident, Rose Ann said, adding that the friends were not partying.
"She's angry and has a lot of the same questions that everyone else does: Why did this happen to me? What did I do?" Rose Ann said. "She's a great girl."