Betty Lou Summer, 82, suffered third-degree burns over 30% of her body after falling asleep in a metal chair by an Arizona pool, with burns reaching right down to the muscle and bone
An 82-year-old mum suffered severe burns down to “the muscle and the bone” after dozing off in a metal chair by a pool while sunbathing, her daughter has revealed.
Betty Lou Summer was at the Johnson Ranch community pool in San Tan Valley on June 11 when an hour under the Arizona sun turned into a life-threatening ordeal as she fell asleep. She was found unconscious by passers-by, suffering from a severe heat stroke and covered in third-degree burns.
“The whole front of her body, all the way down to basically the muscle and the bone, is burned. And it’s significant,” Summer’s daughter, Michelle Gabbert, told AZ Family.
Summer was quickly covered in wet towels and moved into the shade before paramedics rushed her to the Valleywise Burn Center, where doctors also diagnosed her with liver and kidney damage and severe shock.
The burns, which covered approximately 30% of her body, were not just caused by the sun, but also by any parts of her body that were touching the metal chair.
“Her pinky tip, which was touching the metal chair, was completely, the whole tip of it was gone. Anywhere that touched the metal on the chair completely just fried,” Gabbert told ABC 15.
Summer, who had only recently retired, was put on a ventilator and dialysis and has already undergone several surgeries to remove the burnt and dead skin.
“We weren’t sure she was gonna make it through the night,” said Gabbert, who was abroad at the time.
Summer is expected to remain in the hospital’s burn unit for at least another month.
She will need several skin grafts in the coming month once her tissue has recovered sufficiently.
Gabbert, who works as a doctor, explained that her mother’s advanced years played a role in both the severity of her injuries and her challenging recovery process, as elderly individuals possess thinner skin, reduced subcutaneous fat, slower healing capabilities and struggle with temperature regulation, according to ABC 15.
Gabbert is sharing her mother’s ordeal to highlight the risks of sun exposure, encouraging anyone venturing outdoors to take appropriate safety measures such as applying sun cream, donning protective garments and maintaining proper hydration.
“I would have never in a million years imagined one of my family members having to go through this,” Gabbert told AZ Family.