Girls with Grafts

During this episode of Girls with Grafts, Amber Wilcox rejoins Rachel Kudlak for the final episode of Season Three. They begin the episode with a quick life update from Amber. The girls are then joined by CEO of Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, Amy Acton, who shares a recap of 2023 and what’s ahead for the organization in 2024.  Meet Our Guest Amy Acton is the Chief Executive Officer for Phoeni...

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Jeffrey Schneider specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation and first had his opportunity to work with burn patients shortly after the Station Nightclub Fire occurred while he was completing his residency. It was during that time that Dr. Schneider became interested in the long-term effects of a burn injury, and has since dedicated time to researchin...

It’s #GivingTuesday! Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. In honor of Giving Tuesday, we want to highlight a few of the ways you can give back to Phoenix Society and burn community. We hope today’s podcast inspires you to find a way to give back that is meaningful to you. Ways to Give Back Double Your Impact & Become a Monthly Donor : By jo...

Every year, wildfires burn across the United States, and a growing number of people are living where wildfires are a real risk. According to NFPA, every year, wildfires burn across the U.S., and more and more people are living where wildfires are a real risk. Nearly 45 million homes and more than 72,000 U.S. communities are now at risk.  In today’s podcast, we sit down with Allyson Watson, a burn...

Many burn survivors face the harsh reality after a burn injury of wondering if they will ever return back to ‘normal’. For many, the long journey to recovery can seem both overwhelming and uncertain—not knowing what the future can hold or how long recovery (both physical and emotional) may take. A burn survivor’s journey to recovery is not often quick—and it can be in these moments of uncertainty...

After a burn injury, many burn survivors are left with the appearance of visible burn scars that can sometimes make getting back out there after a burn injury difficult. There are several options that burn survivors may explore to help with the appearance of scars, all with a unique preference for the survivor and their own healing journey. While many survivors are comfortable with the appearance...

Halloween is a time for fun, but let’s not forget that it can be tough for those with facial and visible differences. Portraying a burn survivor or someone with physical disfigurements can be extremely disrespectful and triggering. Additionally, burn survivors see an increase of harmful and hurtful messages during the spooky season.  In today’s podcast, we sit down with influencer Tonya Meisenbach...

Taylor Campbell was just 8 months old when her burn injury occurred from a kitchen accident resulting in 64% of her body burned with a 7% chance of survival. Today, Taylor is 19 years old and has had over 30 surgeries since her accident. As a child burn survivor, Taylor has spent her life adapting to her burn injury, with countless surgeries and obstacles to overcome along the way. In this episode...

Each year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®), hosts Fire Prevention Week™ (FPW) to help with educating the public about the importance of fire safety. For more than 100 years, NFPA, the official sponsor of FPW, has hosted a fire prevention campaign and themes the week around a particular aspect of fire safety. This year’s FPW campaign, “Cooking Safety Starts with YOU”, highlights th...

On Halloween in 1987, Anthony Razzano at the young age of 12 years old found himself influenced by peers huffing gas on a quad motorbike. In his recollection of a ‘split-second decision,’ Anthony decided to join his peers and later returned home with a friend to continue the activity. Not realizing the dangers around gasoline, Anthony’s friend lit a match causing burns to over 87% of Anthony’s bod...

We're just weeks away from Phoenix World Burn Congress 2023! To help attendees prepare for the event, we welcomed Megan Tinney, Phoenix WBC event manager, and Gina Russo, a key volunteer dedicated to ensuring that our first-time attendees are welcomed and supported at the conference, to the podcast! About Gina Russo Gina Russo was born and raised in Cranston, Rhode Island. She is a mother to t...

At the age of 20, Grace Athena Flott was studying abroad in Paris when the apartment she lived in caught on fire causing burns to 45% of her body, a broken back and ankle, and the loss of two of her friends from the incident. Today, over a decade after her injury, Grace is an incredibly talented artist expressing and giving back to her community through her passion for the arts.  In this episode,...

Navigating the hospital as a newly injured burn survivor can be overwhelming, and frightening, and leave many feeling like they have an extreme loss of control. The role a burn nurse plays in this journey is a critical component of a survivor’s healing—both mentally and physically. The burn nurse often spends great lengths with survivors, spending time in countless dressing changes, helping them n...

For nearly 20 years, Dennis Gardin referred to himself as a ‘victim’ of his injury, rather than a survivor. It wasn’t until he was asked by a friend to visit someone with a burn injury in the hospital that he began his transformation from victim to survivor. Shortly after visiting his first-ever burn survivor, Dennis connected with a community of other survivors and began his journey to healing. I...

According to estimates from the Sleep Foundation , roughly​​ 50 million to 70 million people suffer from sleep disorders in the United States. Sleep is a very powerful tool for the human body, and in fact, sleep has a direct correlation to how we feel pain in the body.  In this episode, we chat with Dr. Sheera Lerman Zohar, a sleep expert sharing with us not only her tips for getting better sleep,...

Shortly after graduating college, Jacqueline Child decided to give mainstream dating apps a try—hoping to find her perfect match. Unfortunately for Jacqueline, what she had hoped would be a positive experience to find love while also managing a chronic illness—usually ended with disappointment and discouragement. After a series of bad experiences with many online ‘matches’, Jacqueline and her sist...

Tony Gonzalez walked into Jamie Neito’s hospital room shortly after his burn injury at Loyola Medical Center to provide him Peer Support as a part of Phoenix Society’s SOAR program, and what began as a Peer Support discussion became a lifelong friendship for the two burn survivors. Sharing a love of golf, the two connected and describe their relationship as having developed into a “brotherhood” be...

Over 100 million people worldwide have a mark, scar or condition which affects their facial appearance. This includes those that have suffered a burn injury. For many, having a facial difference means living in oppression dealing with negative stigmas, and a lack of strong representation in the media or online. During Face Equality Week, we honor, and spread awareness for facial inequalities as we...

National Nurses Week is held each year beginning May 6th and ends 12th, during which Florence Nightingale’s birthday occurs. Nightingale played an instrumental role in shaping the role of the modern-day nurse. Celebrated annually, this event honors nurses around the world who have made contributions to our lives. For the burn survivor, nurses have played a vital role in recovery, and shape the exp...

Connor McKemey, “CMAC” as he was known in college, burned 90% of his body, 75% in the third degree at 13 years of age, just before the Christmas holiday. In addition to Connor’s injuries, his mother also suffered burns that day due to aiding Connor in putting out the fire. Connor recalls a long road to recovery and shares that with a very low chance of survival, doctors aimed at keeping him alive...

With a lifelong dream of service and a family of military veterans, Jason had always felt a call to service. Jason gave up a high-school golf scholarship to join the U.S. Airforce, and later took a job with the Arizona public service where he worked while raising his family. It wasn’t until March 26, 1999, when Police Officer Marc Atkins was shot and killed after being ambushed by suspected drug t...

The anniversary of the date of your burn injury trauma is a date for many that can be filled with lots of emotions, thoughts, and memories. For many, the date of your burn injury can bring both happiness of survival, while also mourning the loss and difficult tragedy that was the injury. In the burn survivor community, the ‘burniversary’ as it is called, doesn’t come with a set of instructions wit...

Just after college, Rebekah Allely was given the opportunity to intern for a short time in a burn unit in Wisconsin. It was in that single month of time in the burn unit that she fell in love with her experience and knew it was exactly what she was meant to do. To this day, the impact that the burn unit had on Rebekah is imminent—she still remembers her very first patient. Knowing she had found he...

Hadi Papei saw his first burn survivor at the age of 29 when he saw a post of Turia Pitt, an Australian Engineer, and fellow burn survivor on Facebook. Burned at the age of three, Hadi’s first-ever encounter with another survivor nearly 26 years later left him mind-blown and emotionally struck by what he had seen. Spending the next week searching the internet about his injuries, searching for othe...

On December 17th, 2018, Tonya and her husband were enjoying an evening outside by the fire getting ready to make a meal, when her husband sprayed lighter fluid on the fire and the wind shifted, causing Tonya to burn 35% of her body. In this episode, Tonya talks about her journey after the injury, including how she became a beauty influencer, what it was like to recover from her injury after spendi...