We went to see Steve today and when we arrived we found his room door closed. The nurse said they were getting Steve up so we thought Steve was being sat up in bed ready for us to go in and see him. After a short while the room door opened and our Steve came walking out of his room being helped by two nurses! To say this took us back is an understatement. This was the first time his sister and two nieces had seen him walking. He walked towards us very slowly but as he came close he gave the girls such a big smile. It was an emotional moment and it was even made more special because today is the birthday of his youngest niece Louise and she told Steve that was the best birthday present he could of given her. Steve did 7 circuits of the burns centre. The last 2 of these circuits he did even better because the nurses walked along side him but he walked alone without assistance. You could see the determination in his face to do the walk on his own. This was the first time he has walked unaided and as truly great to see.

A little later Steve's aunty uncle and cousin came into see him. They had brought him custards and orange squash so Steve said he was set up for the night with his treats and his TV.

Nearly all of Steve's dressing have been removed now. The only area covered now is the top of his legs. This area of his body is getting better so its only a matter of time before that is uncovered. He is now having lots of baths and physio. Tomorrow he will go into theatre to have a minor operation to see what needs to be done with his left elbow after discovering it was broken last weekend. Steve is not to bothered by this visit he just thinks that it is something that needs to be done and given what he has had to go through over the last several months it is not a major upset to him.

There is a real possibility in the near future of Steve transferring to another Hospital nearer his home. We do not know when yet but will find out soon. This will be great for Steve and Pauline because Steve will hopefully be able to have home visits. Christmas is fast approaching and we hope that Steve will be allowed home for Christmas day. It would be fantastic to have a family get together at Pauline's and Steve's, but we will have to wait and see. If the big fella has anything to do with it he'll be home on the 25/12 and no one will stop him.

Today was a great day filled with highs and no lows. A day where we saw Steve taking small steps on his own road to recovery. His sister summed it up after seeing her brother walking down that corridor by saying with tears of joy in her eye's "its so fantastic seeing him walk. Steve is coming back to us and I am so proud of him".

Gary - Steve's Brother in Law.

Hi everyone. Steve's sister Shaz, one of his nieces louise and I went and paid our Steve a visit this afternoon at the Burns Centre. Steve was sat in bed watching boxing on his TV. We found him in a good mood and very talkative. He told us about having another bath today and how treatment is is going. Steve showed us his left hand which is now uncovered. The surgeon has done a really good job on this hand. More of the fingers have been saved on this hand although the thumb is slightly shorter than on his right hand. All the fingers on his left hand are now moving which is a good sign with the healing process. The bandages on his legs are now being reduced further. This is great for Steve has the dressings changes are now reducing in time which means a reduction in pain.

Steve's physio sessions are moving on a pace. He is now up to walking 3 times around the Burns Centre in one go! The Nursing Staff all think Steve is progressing really well and it will not be long before the treatment of his burn injuries comes to an end as an inpatient within the Burns Centre and the rehabilitation phase of his road to recovery begins. This may be undertaken at another Hospital we are now waiting for further information on this.

Overall a great visit with Steve today. We gave him one of the new Trekking for Steve tee shirts which are being produced and sold for the Great Wall of China walk next year. Our Steve loved it and said that when he can he'll wear it with pride.

Gary - Steve's Brother in Law.

I visited Steve this evening (12/11) with the County Fire Officer Mr Dixon. When we arrived Steve was lay on his bed watching TV. We sat down and Mr Dixon, Steve and I then spent almost an hour talking about how Steve was doing, how his road to recovery progressing and general conversation. Steve said he was pleased that the CFO had been to see him, he had enjoyed the visit and he looked forward to more visits from the CFO in the future.

Steve has had his session of physio today and has been walking again around the burns centre with the aid of his frame and the help of the physios. Steve told Mr Dixon and me that today he had been in the bath properly for the first time and it felt great to have a soak in the hot tub. He is unfortunately still experiencing pain at the top rear of his legs around the skin grafting in these areas, but the bath took some of the pressure off these areas and let him relax without too much pain.

In the next few days the dressings will be removed from his left hand so the hand specialist can examine the area. Steve is waiting to see what the hand specialist says regarding what further work may be required to this hand in the immediate future.

It was great to see Steve in a good mood and I left him to settle down for the evening.

Steve has had a busy week with the various treatments he his having. His walking is going well and the physios are having to help him less and less each time he gets up. He is experiencing pain in the tops of the back of his legs where some of the deepest burns are located.

The Burns Centre Staff are assisting him with coping with the pain. Its unfortunate that it is difficult for Steve to get rid of the pain in this area due to its location. The rest of his body where there is skin grafting is still healing well and his legs are more uncovered now. His left hand is still bandaged but appears to be healing well. He is starting to use his hands again and can operate the remote control now for his new television.

We learned yesterday that Steve also broke his left elbow during the incident on the 23/06. Due to him being sedated for a number of weeks the break has started to heal itself. Steve will have to have surgery in the future to fix the break properly. Yet another visit to the operating theatre!!!

Overall Steve's recovery is going well. He still has his up's and down's but that is understandable with everything that he has to go through. He raises a smile and a joke on his good days and has experienced the taste of his favourite tipple Guinness recently. He has said Guinness are going to have to step up production when he gets out of hospital.

We told Steve about the charity doo in Bolton last Friday night and what a fantastic time we had. He laughed at some of the stories we told him about what had happened on the night and he wanted me to say a big thank you to everyone who had arranged the doo and all those people who had turned up on the night to raise money.

So from Fire fighter Steve Morris

THANK YOU.

Shaz and I visited Steve this afternoon. When we arrived Steve was reading a magazines. He had it on the book stand we had got him .Reading gives Steve a welcome change from watching the TV and lets him keep up with the things that interest him most like mountain biking, fitness and other sporting activities.

Steve was looking well. He was sat up in his bed. He had both hands bandaged along with both his legs. His left arm was also bandaged. He was talkative and told us about the visit he had the day before with his Mum, Pete and his Aunty Ann and Uncle Brian.

Steve also had a visit today from his Aunty Audrey, Uncle John and his two cousins Sue and Diane. Steve really enjoyed the visit with them and it did give him a good lift to see them all and it was the first time they had visited Steve so it was good for them to see how well Steve is doing. We all spoke about family things and Steve took centre stage. Aunty Audrey told him he was a fighter and would get well sooner than later and how very proud everyone was of him. Steve spoke to them about what he had been going through since he arrived in Hospital. The family who were there really cheered him up and we all had a good laugh together.

Steve is doing well in himself. He has been up on his feet a couple of times in the last week, and is making progress with his walking. He still has to be assisted by the nurses and physios but watching him shuffle along a few days ago you can see the determination in his face to succeed. He had the op on his left hand last Wednesday. He is starting to have physio on this hand tomorrow and then I think the bandage will come off so we will see the extent of what has had to be done on this hand. We have also managed to get him out of his room and pushed him around in a wheel chair. This is also a big step for Steve and with being able to get on his feet has been a massive boost to his confidence about his recovery. It seems such a short time ago when Steve was upset and frustrated at his own perception of his slow recovery. What a difference a few days make!

Steve continues to have his bandages changed but has told us that the pain is no longer as intense and is a little more manageable now. The Burns Centre Staff continue to do a brilliant job with him and encourage him along the way.

This week will again consist of more physio and Steve will once again put in the hard work. We left him tonight to finish his mountain bike magazine and he thanked us for coming to see him.