A man who suffered fourth degree burns across his entire upper body after he set himself alight cooking pasta says he wants to "embrace" his skin. Jeffery Johns, 40, set himself alight and suffered life-threatening burns when his shirt caught fire while he was cooking pasta on June 6, 2022.
The incident put him in a three-week long coma, and he was forced to recover in hospital for over six months. Following five skin grafts, Jeffery has been left with intense scarring across his entire upper body - but says he "embraces" his new skin as it encourages him to "keep on fighting".
After posting a topless photo of himself on Twitter, the artist has received an "overwhelming" amount of support for his positive attitude - and he now wants to encourage others to do the same. Jeffery, from Bristol, said: "My sexy sexy scars, what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger? Right?
"Well, I'm the living embodiment of that for sure." He added: "When I woke in the hospital I felt really scared, I was semi-conscious and was out of reality.
"I remember waking up and seeing my left hand, which is the one I draw and write with, covered in bandages and realising how serious it was. I had all sorts of treatments whilst in hospital.
"I had to learn how to walk again after being bedbound for months and had to have five skin grafts on my neck, arms, chest and mouth. I do struggle with my skin still. I think everyone has doubts about their body, but I've decided to be kinder to myself.
"I want to tell people to keep on fighting, never give up fighting. I want people to embrace things that make them an individual.
"If scarring makes you an individual, and you can find a way to embrace to your scars comfortably then go for it." Jeffery had returned home from a concert on the evening of June 6, 2022, when the incident occurred.
He was in his kitchen cooking vegetables and pasta on his gas stove when he smelt burning. At first, he assumed the food was burning so turned off the stove - but he then realised the base of the shirt he was wearing had caught fire.
He ran into his bathroom and "dived into the shower" to extinguish the flames - but not before they had done significant damage to his entire upper body. His neighbours heard his screams and managed to call 999.
Thankfully, a fire service crew was a matter of minutes away and were able to assist him. Jefferey was sent in an ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, but was later sent to Morriston Hospital in Swansea, South Wales, to get the appropriate treatment.
He was in a coma for three weeks, and then continued to receive treatment in Morriston for two months. In August, he was transferred back to Southmead Hospital where he received treatment until he was discharged in December - six months after the incident.
He said: "My life flashed before my eyes. I'm lucky to have neighbours who heard me screaming because if it wasn't for the quick response of the fire service, I'd be dead. The last thing I remember was being whisked into the ambulance off to hospital.
"When I woke up it was like I was in a dream. I was semi-conscious and out of reality. I remember waking up and seeing my left hand covered in bandages and realised it was serious.
"It's all a blur, I don't remember huge amounts." Once Jefferey had had his latest skin graft in September 2022, NHS staff had to work towards re-teaching him basic human functions like walking and sitting up.
After two months of being bed-bound, Jeffery faced four months of constant physiotherapy as he had lost "almost all muscle capacity". He returned to living at home in December, but still has to have visits from carers twice a day to manage his skin and finds it painful to be in the sun.
A year on from the incident, Jefferey took to social media to share his journey and post a photo of his skin. He added: "I'm still struggling. I struggle with the heat and the summer, but I have therapeutic ways to deal with it.
"I'm still processing what happened, I find it quite hard to speak about, but I'm proud of my progress. I'd like to encourage people to embrace their differences and individuality in the same way I'm learning to embrace my skin."
