Hi All, Steve here!

Just recently I had an appointment with the Disablement Services Centre (DSC) in Withington. I've had quite a few appointments here over the past 3 years! The DSC are an NHS service who recommend and make prosthetics for amputees. The DSC is yet another part of the NHS that (before my incident) I'd never heard of. I knew amputees 'must' get their prosthesis from somewhere, but never thought where?

The DSC don't just deal with prosthetics. They also provide aids and adaptations for people when they've say. . . lost their fingers (as in my case). How do you hold a knife and fork? Fortunately for me, I can just about manage with a normal fork. But a knife is impossible, my fingers are way too short. So what to do? Do you have someone else cut your food up for you all the time? So embarrassing in restaurants that I can't begin to tell you. Well 'NO!" is the answer to that!

The solution is to have something made or adapted especially for you. This is where the DSC come in. They have experienced technicians to help people like me, who have lost the ability to do what they once could. They truly are unsung heroes!

Now as I said earlier, I've been going to the DSC for quite some time. And of course there are a number of disabled people in it's waiting area. And as I've said in previous blogs, life for some people is extremely challenging. There's a part of me that wants to go over and help them out in some way, though heaven knows how. But since the incident, I've been exposed to that many people with so many different challenges, that it's desensitised me somewhat. It's toughened me up, if you like! Just as you'd expect a firefighter should be! Well, that WAS the case until my last visit to the DSC.

On my last visit, Pauline and myself entered the waiting area and the only people there was a little girl and her nurse. The girl looked to be about the age of 7 or 8 and she was in a wheelchair. She was just in front of us to the left hand side, and as we approached, she looked over her right shoulder towards both of us. The nurse who was with her was gently brushing her hair. I smiled at the little girl, Pauline said 'Hello' but she didn't smile back and didn't answer. She had sparkling blue eyes which were alert and she took in everything. She kept looking back at us, looking away, back at us again, but she was completely expressionless.

The smile and the knowing look her nurse gave me said so much. A terrible burn injury was on right side of the girl's face. And a blanket haphazardly placed upon her lap hid her legs - I wasn't sure if she had legs, but I thought she didn't. She'd lost her left hand as well. And what other injuries lay beneath (physically & mentally) I can't bare to imagine.

The sight of this girl just broke our hearts. We left that waiting room really dejected. We both felt devastated and sad. She'd clearly been involved in a fire and had suffered a great deal. We both just wanted to go over, comfort and protect her (as though that would make it all better). But that would only make ourselves feel better. It's awful when this sort of thing happens to anyone, but especially to a child.

We started talking about how we could help the little girl. We thought that there wasn't much we could do for her now, but we felt we needed to do something. But where do you start, and how? Is it to help someone after they suffer an injury, through aids and adaptations? Well, there's definitely place for that - it's called the DSC! And there's quite a few organisations and charities that help disabled people too. Or is it to put something in place so that people don't get injured in the first place? I think we can all answer that.

But apart from prevention and rehabilitation, there's also a place for treatment which reduces the impact of an injury. Medical intervention is the answer. This way (if we can improve the results of treatment), amputations could be minimised or even avoided. And the impact of disfigurement caused by fire, cancers and congenital abnormalities could be reduced too! All of which I've seen at the DSC!

If only there was a charity or organisation somewhere who could help fund the research needed. Well there is! It's called The Healing Foundation, it's Ambassador is Simon Weston and it's mission is as follows:

"The Healing Foundation is a national fundraising charity. It champions the cause of people living with disfigurement and the visible loss of function. It does this by funding research into pioneering surgical and psychological healing techniques. Through research, it also raises awareness about the causes, and provides information about the sources of support.

Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by disfigurement due to congenital abnormalities or disease. Or even scarring from accidents or surgical procedures. It's not only the physical, but also the emotional scars that can cause severe psychological problems. Problems which they and their families must overcome.

There is an immense need for more research, particularly in areas of tissue regeneration. Then burns and the psychological aspects of disfigurement can be addressed more successfully. And, in certain conditions that affect children also. At present, no national strategy for research exists. There is enormous scope for improvement, collaboration, education and awareness."

I'm very pleased you've read this blog, and I hope it's given you insight into what some people have to deal with. If you feel that you'd like to help in some way, please visit http://www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/stevenmorris1. Or if this link doesn't work, search for virgin money giving and in 'find a friend', enter 'steve morris'. Given the season, I can't think of a better time to fund research into burns, scarring and disfigurement! Thanks very much!

Now I always end these blogs with a fire safety message. And given the time of year that it is, it would be remiss of me not to mention these facts:

* Remember - fireworks are explosive devices. As well as containing explosive chemical compounds they also contain chemicals made from metals such as Strontium, Lithium, and Potassium. Although most chemicals in fireworks are non-toxic, some are and may cause skin irritations and some could be dangerous if ingested or inhaled.

* The average sparkler burns at up to 2,000 degrees centigrade - that's '20 times' hotter than a freshly boiled kettle. Which is why you should NEVER give one to a child under 5, and you should closely supervise children over 5.

* A typical rocket can reach up to 150 miles per hour, and as high as 200 metres.

* In any typical year around 1,300 people need hospital treatment due to a firework injury; and around 500 of these injuries happen at a family or private party.

* Lighting too many fireworks at once will leave you little time to get out of the way before they go off. When professionals set off large scale displays they use special set ups and electronic timer switches to set off massive amounts of fireworks at once - and from a safe distance. You are never going to recreate this affect in your back garden. So set your fireworks off a few at a time, and make sure you make everyone aware of what you are doing.

* Always read and follow the instructions on each firework.

* It is illegal for any retailer to sell fireworks to children under the age of 18.

That's all for this time, so be safe, and take care.

FF Steve Morris