The Untitled Project

Stephanie Romeo is from Toulouse, France. In the summer of 2015, Stephanie was meeting a friend for lunch; her friend arrived late and their reservation was denied. They went to an alternate restaurant, which was also full. As they were leaving, a waiter ran to them and let them know a table had become available in the buffet section. They agreed that they would stay and partake in the buffet. As Stephanie was getting in line for the buffet, the man in front of her insisted that she go in front of him - she obliged. As she was serving herself food, the food warmer exploded right in front of her. She was splashed with chemicals on her skin, from the Sterno that was keeping the food warm, and immediately engulfed in flames. Stephanie explained that everything happened so quickly, but also in slow motion. It also took several moments for her to realize what had happened to her. In efforts to put out the flames, she patted herself, which caused to her hands and arms to be burned. Her friend tore her top off to keep the flames at bay. She then realized that even though the flames were extinguished, her thighs still had the sensation of burning due to the chemicals. She stripped off her clothes, leaving her almost bare in front of the whole restaurant. The freak accident had only affected Stephanie, no one else was injured.

Stephanie was taken by helicopter to a hospital where she underwent skin grafting surgeries on her thighs and arms. She is burned on 20% of her body. In the hospital she had some of the best and worst experiences. She explained that part of her recovery treatments included debridement, which is when dead or severely burned skin is scraped off so new cells can grow (this would happen every two days in her case). She recalls there was a day when she was not provided with the proper pain medication and she felt an indescribable pain - this was the worst pain she had ever endured. Through all of the suffering, she also felt loved by her caregivers.

In the hospital, Stephanie struggled with depression and PTSD, she thought she would never recover. One of the persistent thoughts that plagued her was knowing how her father must have felt when he perished in a fiery plane crash 13 years prior to her accident. She realized that she needed help and started working with a life coach. This helped her work through her trauma and be able to cultivate positive coping skills. Stephanie is now a certified life coach, specializing in trauma. She is a published author and has created the KAL Therapy model. KAL is an acronym for knowledge, awareness, and love. Through these three strengths, one can free oneself from suffering, develop a new self confidence and trust in life, and find fulfillment. You can find her book, "Un jour, Demain s'Arretera", on Amazon. Stephanie has also created A Survivors Guide to Healing - Transform Your Scars, which can be downloaded for free from her website stephanieromeo.com

During our interview, one thing that Stephanie said that stood out to me was "In scars, we can see courage, strength and resilience. In scars, we can witness the power of life." Stephanie has so much knowledge to share for anyone dealing with any kind of trauma - physical or emotional. She had dedicated her life to helping others.

You can check out more interviews on the blog bradeneventphotogography.zenfolio.com/blog

Take a listen to my interview from Thinkologie, talking about The Untitled Project 🤍

https://anchor.fm/thinkologie/episodes/Lacey-Braden-Capturing-Beauty-through-Photography-e1h5b32?fbclid=IwAR0-4TO8clR1yP-Q2P-tJbtq_1RJJeBE4vLWz39QQQkf2y4vk80V38-nzkY

Lacey Braden’s Story: Capturing Beauty through Photography by They Did it Their Way Lacey Braden is a math high school teacher turned photographer with a huge heart! I first met her while we worked at Parkville High School in Baltimore. What drew me to Lacey's work was her project photographing burn victims. This project has revealed not only her skills as a photographer but her hu...

The Untitled Project: This is Katy Llywellyn , She is a burn survivor from Pulaski, Virginia. She was burned at age 12 due to a house fire. Katy and her brother lived with her grandparents, while her father and uncle lived next-door. In the middle of the night her grandparent's house caught fire. Katy's grandparents and brother made it out of the house and called for help. Once they realized that Katy was not outside with them her brother attempted to run inside and save her. Katy's father stopped his son since he was just a child. Katy woke up to a smoke filled house; she did not realize there was danger, she thought the smoke was caused by the wood stove. She got up to investigate and once she opened her bedroom door she was hit by a wall of thick smoke. As she walked through the house she noticed that fire blocked both doors leading to the outside. She froze, not knowing where to go. Katy's grandfather reentered the home and found her in the dining room. Since the smoke was so thick, both Katy and her grandfather passed out. Her grandfather attempted to shield her with his body as they fell to the ground. Once her grandfather did not emerge from the home after a few minutes, Katy's father and uncle broke through the back door and pulled both Katy and her grandfather to safety. Katy stated, as she crawled away from the burning house she saw her skin peeling off of her body.

Once in the ambulance, Katy's body swelled so severely that the paramedics had to split the skin on the back of her arms and legs so that her skin would not burst from the pressure. Katy and her grandfather were airlifted and placed in a medically induced coma. They were initially flown to Roanoke, but not admitted since their burns were too severe for their medical staff. They were then flown to UVA burn unit, where they were both treated. Katy was 88% burned and not expected to survive. The medical team thought they would have to remove her fingers, lips, and nose due to the extent of her injuries, but in the end, she was able to keep them. Katy was in a coma for one month. Once her treatment at UVA was complete, she was flown to Shriners for 4 months. She would return to Shriners every 6 weeks for more surgeries. Once released from care, she returned home in a wheelchair and was not expected to walk. Katy only remained wheelchair bound for 1 year; she was determined to be independent and walk on her own. Katy has had 111 surgeries - the most recent was in September of 2021. She does not have any upcoming surgeries scheduled at this time. Unfortunately her grandfather only survived for 10 days after the accident.

Katy explained that she does have some physical limitations, but she is fully and independently functioning. She went through extensive physical therapy for her physical wellbeing and saw a childhood trauma therapist for her emotional wellbeing. She also pulled support from her family and friends. One year after her injury, she got involved with the Central Virginia Burn Camp. She explained that being involved with the camp was a huge part of her emotional recovery. When I asked her what coping strategies have been helpful for her she stated that she knows that her grandfather sacrificed himself for her and that she wants to honor him with her life. She also explained that she focuses on her blessings and the love that she has in her life.

Katy is strong, brilliant, and beautiful.

Check out her full gallery on the blog: bradeneventphotography.zenfolio.com/blog

If you or someone you know would like to be involved in the Untitled Project, please message me.

This is Jua'Queyunis "Jae Jae" Johnson from Seffner, Florida. She was burned in 2003 on Valentine's Day when she was 18 months old. Jae Jae was at her grandparents house; her grandfather was cooking on a electric skillet while she was playing. Jae Jae was shooed out of the kitchen multiple times, but while no one was looking she reentered the kitchen. The balloon she was playing with floated over the stove and Jae Jae climbed on top of a stool to get it. When she did, she grabbed the skillet handle - pouring oil on herself.

Jae Jae was hospitalized for 6 weeks and deemed 30% burned. As treatment, she received skin grafts, using her own skin. Since skin grafts tend to become thick and raised, she had to wear pressure garments to help with the healing process. Her mother explained that since she was so young and didn't understand that she needed to wear a mask pressure garment on her face, she would constantly pull it off. Jae Jae explained that her scalp was badly burned and her hair no longer grew on a large portion of her head. When she was seven year old she had cosmetic reconstructive surgery to regrow hair; she had tissue expanders inserted into her scalp to reconstruct her hairline. The expanders are slowly inflated over a period of weeks so the surgeon can harvest a large patch of skin where healthy hair follicles grow. They then replace the heavily scarred skin with the newly harvested patch. As she got older, she also had eye reconstruction to help it properly close and scar reduction on her face. Jae Jae explained that she has no further need for surgeries at this time and she is happy in her own skin. She stated that she has never been held back by her scars and has always been a confident young woman. She explained that she has never been bullied by her peers or treated any different by anyone in her family. She never viewed herself as having limitations. Jae Jae explained that it is important to come to terms with who you are and not compare yourself to others. Once we fully accept ourselves we can move past our flaws and embrace our beauty.

You can view her full gallery and all of the other participant's stories and galleries on the blog.

bradeneventphotography.zenfolio.com/blog

Jae Jae Johnson

The Untitled Project

This is Angela Harrow from Pinconning, Michigan. She was burned on Halloween after trick or treating with her children in 2020. Once they returned home from their night out, she went to the basement and turned on the furnace. She started walking up the stairs and heard a large explosion - the furnace blew up. She ran up the stairs and covered her face with her hands - this one action saved her face from severe scarring. Angela explained that she has no idea how she made it to the top of the stairs as they were crumbling in front of her. The explosion was so strong that it knocked over the furniture on the main floor of her house. Angela was unable to immediately get out because a bookcase was blocking the door. Angela's daughter pushed the bookcase out of their escape route; once out of the house, the entire house went up in flames. Everyone made it out of the house; only Angela sustained injuries.

Angela was airlifted to Flynt and hospitalized for one month and was in a medically induced coma for one week. For her first surgery she received cadaver skin. The cadaver skin was left on for five days, then removed and they used her own skin for grafting. You can see the graft sites on Angela's back and arms. Due to the grafting, one of her tattoos that used to be on her back is now on her thigh. Angela endured five surgeries, two laser treatments, and steroid injections. She does not have any further surgeries scheduled or needed at this time.

Angela explained that she deals with PTSD after the accident, but as more time passes it becomes less severe. We spoke about how she has dealt with frustration around her physical limitations while healing. She is a nurse and is used to caring for others, having it be the other way around was difficult to accept. She explained that she still deals with a feeling of regret for not having the furnace serviced before turning it on. Through all of these things, Angela has a positive outlook and she has radically accepted her scars. She is back to work as a nurse and doesn't let anything stop her. Some of the coping skills that have been most helpful to her are talking baby steps, therapy, and taking control. She explained that taking baby steps and not rushing the healing process was important. to her recovery. Even though she did not heal as fast as she would have liked, she healed quickly due to performing the physical and occupational therapy exercises constantly. Ultimately, she took control of her recovery, she did everything she could to progress physically and emotionally on a daily basis.

*Side note: Angela and her husband drove over 600 miles from Michigan to Maryland on a motorcycle to participate in the Untitled Project!

bradeneventphotography.zenfolio.com/blog

An interview I got to do with SOS Network to talk about The Untitled Project. I am always humbled and honored to share the stories of these strong women.

Finding beauty in your imperfections - sosnetwork.tv This is Lacey Braden, a Baltimore-based photographer. She is currently working on a portrait series showcasing a cast of all-female burn survivors.

The Untitled Project

This is Natalie Buck, she was burned in 2020 while she was camping with her family. They were attempting to light a Sterno can , which wouldn't catch flame they kept the lit lighter pointed at the opening of the can. After just a few moments the can exploded right in their direction; Natalie was severely burned on her face, neck, chest and arms. She was placed in a medically induced coma for 5 days and hospitalized for 32 days. Amazingly, she dd not require skin grafts and she has healed exceptionally well. Her only surgeries have been 38 laser treatments. The treatments help reduce the thickness of the scar tissue, allowing for a better range of motion and a smoother appearance of the scar.

Natalie was injured during Covid, which was a blessing in disguise. Due to virtual learning she was able to remain home for her 5th grade year. This gave her the opportunity to heal and become accustomed to the scars before returning to school. She completed her 6th grade school year back in public school; she stated that overall her peers were supportive and kind. Natalie explained that her mom is her biggest support system, but she also relies on her friends. She explained that her mom's boyfriend was also a burn survivor and was helpful in her recovery process. Natalie has begun attending Mid Atlantic Burn Camp and stated that meeting other burn survivors has been inspirational. She has accepted her scars and doesn't let anything hold her back. Natalie would like to share the positive message that baby steps are important in recovery and to not rush the process.

You can see her full gallery featured on the blog

https://bradeneventphotography.zenfolio.com/blog/2022/11/natalie-buck

The Untitled Project finally has it's own page! Please follow and share.

Stories, portraits, and information will be added in these next few weeks.

Even if you do not know anyone in the burn community, we have all been through trauma and can relate to life's struggles. It is our job to find our true beauty and wear our scars proudly. They tell our story.