A man who suffered burns to 73 percent of his body in a childhood accident has spoken out about the brutal bullying he endured and his remarkable journey to become a firefighter.
A Childhood Accident That Changed Everything
Terry McCarty, now 39 and from Spokane, Washington, saw his life change forever in 1992. The then six-year-old went outside to call his two older brothers, aged 10 and 12, in for dinner. He found them playing behind a neighbour's house with a dog bowl they had filled with kerosene, which they were attempting to light.
"I got down there about the same time that they were successful at lighting this bowl of kerosene on fire," McCarty recalled in an exclusive interview. "But when it caught fire it scared them so they kicked the bowl. What they didn't know is that they kicked the bowl in my direction."
The flaming bowl struck him in the chest, engulfing him in fire. A quick-thinking neighbour smothered the flames with a sleeping bag, but the damage was catastrophic.
Years of Pain and Public Cruelty
McCarty was rushed to hospital where he learned 73 percent of his skin had been burned. His recovery was agonisingly long. He spent an entire year in hospital and has since undergone 58 separate surgeries.
Returning home presented a new set of challenges. He spent over five hours each day changing bandages. Public outings meant enduring constant stares, while classmates subjected him to relentless cruelty.
"I started to really get a lot of bullying and teasing and was getting made fun of," he admitted. "I've been called everything from Michael Myers to Freddy Krueger to burnt toast."
He struggled to process why people focused on his scars rather than his survival. "It was a very difficult transition for me... people don't understand the pain, the trauma and the process of what it means to be a burn survivor."
Confronting Trauma Through Firefighting
As an adult, McCarty faced discrimination when job hunting, with some suggesting his scars would make him a "liability." Tired of being labelled a victim, he made a radical decision: he applied to become a volunteer firefighter.
"I did it mainly out of spite," he reflected. "[It felt like] my one shot to take myself from being a victim to being a survivor."
Remarkably, facing fire during training was not triggering. Instead, his past gave him a profound respect for flames. "[That training] helped me confront any remaining fear... I really confronted the last frontier of my demons," he said.
After two and a half years as a volunteer firefighter, McCarty now works full-time for a non-profit supporting child burn victims. He is also a certified peer support specialist, helping others through addiction recovery.
His powerful message to others facing adversity is clear: "You are not what happened to you. You are what you choose to become after trauma."
