N.C. Jaycee Burn Center to hold 16th annual burn survivors reunion Oct. 27

Oct. 22, 2007

N.C. Jaycee Burn Center to hold 16th annual burn survivors reunion Oct. 27

CHAPEL HILL - The N.C. Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals will host its 16th annual adult burn survivor reunion from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.

The reunion, titled “Celebration of Life,” will take place at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill.

“The annual reunion event is an essential part of our mission as North Carolina’s only verified burn center and one of the largest burn centers in the nation. At the reunion we celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our burn survivors and they share with us how their experiences can help others and their families deal with the consequences of being a burn survivor. It truly is an inspirational event,” said Dr. Bruce Cairns, the burn center’s medical director.

This year’s reunion features a panel discussion with three survivors who, as children, were severely burned in a devastating fire at Flat Rock Elementary School on Feb. 22, 1957. All three – Frank Hensley, Marsha Lowe and Tamela Midkiff – went on to lead productive and fulfilling lives, and will share their stories of survival and triumph in the panel discussion.

Other activities at the reunion will include a musical performance; fun, fellowship and door prizes; and separate support group meetings for male survivors, female survivors, spouses and significant others of burn survivors, and children of survivors.

The N.C. Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals provides specialized medical care and rehabilitative services to persons who have severe burns. The center is recognized nationally and internationally as an outstanding facility for burn care, research and education, and its staff is well prepared to handle the multitude of medical complications and emotional problems that can compound the tragedy of thermal injury.

The establishment and construction of the exceptional 21-bed facility came about through the support of many corporations, foundations and fire departments, a national sorority, the state of North Carolina and thousands of individuals and service organizations, including the North Carolina Jaycees, for whom the center is named.

There is no charge to attend the reunion. For more information, contact Shirley Massey, staff chaplain for the Burn Center in the Department of Pastoral Care, at (919) 966-4021 or smassey@unch.unc.edu.

INTERVIEW/PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES:  Members of the news media are welcome to cover “Celebration of Life” or prepare stories in advance. For assistance with advance stories, please call Stephanie Crayton at (919) 966-2860. For on-site assistance Oct. 27, contact Les Lang at (919) 923-2563.


ABOUT UNC HEALTH CARE
The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, which is ranked among the top 50 in the nation in six specialties by U.S. News & World Report and ranked one of the country’s 41 best on the Leapfrog 2007 Top Hospitals list; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; and Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County. UNC Health Care also manages Chatham Hospital in Siler City.