Chamberlain continues on his way to recovery

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JULIE ANDERSON
Brian Chamberlain, Hillsboro, is home and continuing to heal after an April 2 automobile accident left him with burns on his arm, side and leg.



?The only thing I remember is being loaded into the helicopter, a little bit of the ride, and I remember being in the emergency room,? he said. ?I remember driving into town and that I was going to Hillsboro, but that?s all I remember. I couldn?t believe it caught on fire so quickly like that.?



Chamberlain was pulled from the burning wreckage by several passersby.



He said a person has to keep a positive outlook in the face of that kind of ordeal.



?You?ve got to get over stuff like that,? Chamberlain said.



He was in the hospital for 24 days after the accident. During that time, the attending staff kept wet compresses on his skin and performed a skin graft.



He said by the last week of his stay, he was more than ready to go home.



Chamberlain went back for additional skin grafts in April and May.



He said he experienced a lot of pain from the places where they took the skin for the grafts.



Chamberlain will go back to the doctor in August for a check up. These check-ups will continue every two months for the next year.



In all, it will take six months before the skin will return to its normal color.



Currently, Chamberlain has to wear a pressure garment on his arm to help the skin heal faster. He also will be getting pressure garments for his side and leg.



Chamberlain does not have full movement of his arm yet because of his elbow injury, but once it heals, he expects to have full movement.



Chamberlain still experiences pain in his side because it was inflamed. That likely will continue for the next four to six months.



Throughout the healing process, Chamberlain has not lost his sense of humor.



?I?m just a little crispier than I was before,? Chamberlain jokes about his encounter with the flames.



He said people call him ?Crispy? and he will respond to the nickname.



?I don?t care, I?m like whatever, it?s all good,? he said.



The accident has not changed his outlook. He said he?s just as ?crazy? as he was before.



?It?s bad, but it ended up being funny,? he said of the accident. ?I can make anything into a joke. So I?m doing pretty good.?



The hardest thing for Chamberlain now is being restricted on what he can do.



?I can?t work or do anything,? he said. ?I don?t like to lift heavy things or anything like that. I?m just sort of taking it easy and letting it heal up.?



Chamberlain can drive and walk around, and he goes to Newton to visit family.



?As soon as I could, I was back driving again,? he said.



Chamberlain said sitting around can be boring.



?I think of something I could get out and do, but I can?t do it,? Chamberlain said.



?I am out riding my motorcycle now,? he said. ?I?m ready to head out to western Kansas, where my friends live. They have a track out there and that is where I?ll go ride my bike at.?



Before the accident, Chamberlain worked at Norcraft in Newton and at the Ampride convenience store in Hillsboro on the weekends.



Even when he is able to return back, Chamberlain won?t be able to do the same work he was doing at Norcraft because of the lifting involved.



Through this experience, Chamberlain has felt the caring of friends and neighbors in the community.



?I would just like to thank everybody for their cards and thoughts and prayers while I was in the hospital,? he said.



He said a lot of people came to the hospital and sent cards.



?You know there are people in town that are looking out for you,? he said.

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