CLEVELAND — It’s called the ‘fire challenge’: where a person douses himself with an accelerant before lighting himself or fire. The entire ordeal is recorded and posted to social media.
But one man, who we’ll refer to as Joe, says the whole challenge is “silly.”
Joe was burned in a similar incident over 30 years ago. Today, he still receives treatment that includes skin grafts and surgeries.
“They don’t see the after effects of these things and the therapy and the skin graft surgeries, and the inability to go out in public,” said Joe.
“Currently, I still have an ulcer on this elbow that I have to bandage every day. I’ve had my head shaved three times to be used as donor sites for skin graft surgery.”
Over the last three decades, Joe has had more than 50 skin grafts and surgeries.
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Immediately after the incident, he remembers learning to walk again, his brother feeding him, and he had to learn to live with his new appearance.
“The physical pain and endurance, the pain I’ve had to endure is still going on 30 years later. I wake up every morning with cracking skin and ulcers. And it’s a lifetime of trouble.”
And after his most recent skin graft, Joe learned there were cancerous cells in tissue removed from his knee, likely resulting from his burns.
Joe has a serious message for those who are considering the challenge.
“It’s not worth whatever the 15 minutes of fame they’re getting on YouTube… to go through what I’ve gone through and continue to go through 30 years later,” he said.
“I know a lot of people there at the burn unit who weren’t as lucky, their faces (were burned), they lost limbs, passed away. They died from something crazy like that.”
“Just think twice, don’t be silly!”
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Follow WKYC’s Brandon Simmons on Twitter: @216Brandon