Copeland Family Fire

From  " The Copeland Family Journey"  on Facebook, dated January 27, 2024. He’s 6!! What a great day we had with our Krew. Six looks good on you, buddy.

From "The Copeland Family Journey" on Facebook, dated Dec. 14, 2023 This lovely girl is up next for surgery. We will be up bright and early (actually before the sun). Surgery #51 Laser treatment and some facial plastics. She’s looking forward to some noticeable changes from this one. Prayers are always so appreciated.

From "The Copeland Family Journey" on Facebook, dated Dec. 12, 2023 Krew had his first follow up appointment. The incision around his ear was quite frankly one of the better ones we’ve seen! His ear is upright, and that large scar that was pulling it down has been removed. The stitches are dissolvable and will most likely be gone in a few days. His tonsils are looking great, and he is on schedule to have his food restrictions and physical activity limitations lifted in about a week. He has had plenty of ice cream and popsicles, and quite honestly a grotesque amount of macaroni and cheese. But seriously, I did not know one human being could consume that much mac & cheese and still enjoy it!  Once again, we appreciate all the love and prayers, thank you!

Our little Krew has surgery #20 today. The facility that has the laser treatments here in upstate NY, doesn’t feel comfortable with his airway size. So we opted to have his tonsils removed so we can move forward with laser treatments next year. If everything goes smoothly with the tonsillectomy the doctor will also do a scar release around his right ear, where his ear is being pulled down. Krew is in good spirits and looking forward to today with minimal worry, so proud of him. We will be staying overnight for observation. Prayers for Comfort and God’s will are very much appreciated!  Update:

Praise God for these beautiful children! We’re so lucky to be their parents. God has been so good to us, and is directing us where we are meant to be. We are so happy together as a family. 💕 photo credit: Wild Kind

We made it to this years World Burn Congress 2023! (National Harbor, MD). We were blessed to be sponsored by our Las Vegas Burn Foundation family, and feel so blessed! Getting the kids around others, that have gone through some of the same things they have has been so great. We are making memories and enjoying a “break” from treatments.

 From Whitney' Copeland's "The Copeland Family Journal" on Facebook - 8/17/2023 Our babies are off to their first burn survivor’s camp experience!  🥲  This is a beautiful community. We’ve been through so much on this journey, and gained such love and wonderful friendships. Feeling very blessed to be together.    

From Whitney' Copeland's "The Copeland Family Journal" on Facebook - 8/13/2023 Pepper got her cast off this week and we are excited to announce it was better than we could have anticipated! There was approximately a 95% take on her grafts and her fingers are all the way open!  She was immediately thrown back into the days of grafts, sore tissue, blood, swelling, tenderness, wound care, and restriction/tightness around joints where the skin will need to be massaged and stretched, again. She was so brave though. Voicing her needs and asking the doctor to slow down when needed. Removing all of the old dressings on her own, which was painful. She was her own advocate that day and I just stood and watched with tears in my eyes. We are so proud of her.  Pepper starts an aggressive occupational therapist (hand therapy) program tomorrow with a burn specialized therapist. Thank you all for your thoughts, messages, and prayers! We praise God for this amazing news and know that

From: The Copeland Family Journey - Whitney Copeland Pepper is home and well. Minimum pain so far. The doctor reported that her fingers (pointer & pinky) are all the way open, a full thickness graft, from her hip was used on the open areas. Once in there, the doctor reported there was no tendon damage. A HUGE blessing.  These scars are really something, this is the 2nd time she has had these fingers worked on.  Now we pray for the grafts to take. Her follow up is in 2 weeks. They will remove her cast then. Thank you for all the prayers and words of encouragement! Follow up pictures to come…..  

Surgery day, #50. She is getting her left hand worked on.  Gosh it’s been a minute since we’ve been in this position. Nerves were a bit high last night, for me. We prayed together as a family and all that just melted away. It’s amazing the calm God can cover us with, when we bring our worries to him.  Pepper is a champ. Pepper is my hero. Pepper is so brave. She’s back right now. Prayers appreciated!

A post from the Facebook page "A Copeland Family Journal" It’s been 1 year (June 4th) Since we brought this sweet girl home from the hospital. There were a hand full of times we weren’t sure she would make it, but she did. She came home with 7 different medications, some 3 times a day, 4 types of therapies, daily wound care, bi-weekly follow ups with the burn clinic, extreme anxiety, insomnia, arm, hand, and neck braces, a commode, shower chair, and extreme hair loss. She has officially graduated from all of these things and so much more! No medications, none. She is care free and happy. She can run and chase her cousins, siblings and friends. She enjoys cooking, cleaning, and reading. Her request for the upcoming weeks “I’d like to be dropped off at the library for a few hours every week. I’d like to find books I can read that will teach me all about history”. She came home today after three hours with eight 2-3 inch books on various topics, and is excited to go back next we

A post from the Facebook page "A Copeland Family Journal" God is so good! He is Risen. And He has his hand in everything, if we will only see it.  Pepper is growing into a beautiful young lady. We are grateful for her EVERYDAY. We praise God for keeping our family together.

Whitney (8:25pm EST, Thursday 11/10/2022) Compression garments are hand washed and hung to dry…this is part of our nightly routine. (Masks and leg compression missing from picture) We’ve been blessed to have 2 sets each, while one is drying, the other is being worn. For the most part the kids are adjusting well with the compression but it has been one of the hardest parts of adapting at home. It is claustrophobic and doesn’t allow for much movement. We opted for silicone lined, they help the most with hypertrophic scarring. The kids are supposed to wear them for 23 hours a day. The one hour is left over to bath, dry, and then re-apply lotion, and don a clean pair.  We have to put a pretty thick amount of lotion on every night. We go through a tub and a half of Cerave once a week.  Putting both Pepper and Krew’s compression on takes about an hour combined. It can be so exhausting, and we (both the person putting them on and the person wearing) are usually sweating by the end. We have no

Whitney (5pm PST, Tuesday 9/6/22) We hit our 8 month mark last week. We have been running around from hospitals and therapies and doctors offices the entire 8 months. We decided we had a small window where we could take a break and breath for a bit.  With financial help from a new friend, we are embarking on our first adventure after the accident. We are flying to Bozeman, MT and visiting Yellowstone tomorrow.  The giggles and insomnia were full force. The kids packed their own bags and had them in the van last night. We were up earlier than usual. I woke to little Krew right in my face. “Mom, it’s morning time, let’s go on the plane!”  Once in the airport it was so clear to me that although our lives have changed, we are so ready for what this life has to offer. We are so ready to live and play and enjoy our family.  We were made for adventure and for exploring. We are not done yet.

Whitney (5:22pm PST, Friday 8/19/22) These pictures were taken 5 months apart. The one on the left was taken in the hospital. It is Pepper’s left hand, the first time we saw it after she had it fully grafted. I remember it being like Christmas, counting down the days until they unwrapped it. If this picture is difficult to look at, please know I’m very choosy on pictures I post and leave the “scary” ones out.  It was one of the best days in the hospital. Seeing her whole hand covered in fresh skin with a 95% graft take. We laughed about how her fingernails looked like something from a fairytale like witch story. The moment they gave us the thumbs up we did a manicure, and that cheered her up a bit.  The one on the right is her left hand today. It is so smooth and function-able. She will need another surgery in the near future to release her pointer finger and pinky.  Her right hand had a release surgery a week ago and has been in a cast ever since. The Doctor will unwrap it on Monday,

Whitney (12:40pm PST, Thursday 8/11/22) This gal has surgery #45 tomorrow! She will have several z-plasties (z shaped incisions) to release the thickening scars on her face. She will also have a release done on her right hand, which is contracting at a very fast pace.  Many of you are asking, what a release is. It is a release done on the thickening scars, that are contracting everyday. They contract to the point that over joints, and burned areas no longer can fully function. A graft (a piece of skin) is taken from a healthy area on the body and put in place to the injured part, allowing the joints and parts of the body to function again.  Pepper’s right hand is no longer able to do certain things. It is very painful if bumped or stretched. She is nervous but looking forward to having a functioning hand again. This is a big weekend for the Copeland family. Krew is still in the OR. It’s been 5 hours.

Whitney (10:34 PST, Wednesday 8/10/22) These two have surgery tomorrow morning. They both have expressed a bit of nervousness, but we know these surgeries will only continue our recovery. Krew will go first. Surgery #15. He will have a release on his right hand/fingers allowing his fingers to straighten and improve hand dexterity. He will have a “club” aka cast in place for 2 weeks. Krew will also have work done on the right side of his face. His right ear and jaw will be released. Along with his right eye. His eye will be sewn shut for 5 days.  Kyle will go next. Surgery #6. His eyes have contracted again, making it very difficult to be in light of any kind. His eyes water almost constantly and are extremely red and irritated. Kyle will have a release on both eyes and have both eyes sewn shut for 5 days also.  We have a different sister flying in to help for the weekend. We feel beyond blessed and spoiled for this commitment as we know it is challenging for our caregivers to put their

Whitney (1:39pm PST, Monday 8/8/22) We are doing our best to get into somewhat of a routine. I was standing in a Target all by myself at 9pm one night after tucking the kids in and I found my self on the office supply aisle. I was staring at the whiteboards trying to decide which would best assist me with my attempt to organize a shattered life. I started bawling. First out of overwhelm, wondering what the heck are you trying to do? I had no idea where to start, and started questioning my abilities. Then the shift. Gratitude poured in, through me. Here I was standing in a Target with the opportunity to plan and schedule for my family, as a whole. I was so taken with gratitude I started to cry even harder. Kyle got them out. I am forever grateful for the ability and opportunity to schedule appointments, meals and entertainment for our sweet kiddos. I keep having little moments like these and they take me by surprise and catch me when I least expect it. I walked out that night with a $10

Whitney (9:00 AM PST, Monday, 7/17/22) Laser treatments this morning. As we were getting ready to leave a very confused Emree asked, “Where are you going in the middle of the night?!” The laser treatments help to break up scar tissue and help with the itching and nerve pain associated with burns. This is Krew’s 3rd treatment, Pepper’s 1st.  Praying for naps later today.

Whitney (7:50 am PST, Tuesday July 5, 2022) The night before the 4th as I was tucking Pepper in she cried. “I just want to be a normal kid. I want to go to a parade and be outside. I miss the sun.” We chatted about and contemplated a few things. Sadness and disappoint are important feelings. They are real and demand to be felt. We try to acknowledge them, feel them and pin point where the feeling is coming from. As soon as we can do those three steps we are free. Free to move on from that feeling and find a new one that we choose. I encouraged her not to rush the process.  You can bet it didn’t take her long. We came up with an idea. That idea was night swimming with glow sticks. We talked about how this is temporary (being out of the sun) and maybe next year will bring different circumstances!  Night swimming turned out to be more fun than we thought. The fireworks were on both sides of the pool and so fun to watch! So grateful for a neighbor letting us borrow their pool.  I may not h

 Whitney (8:20 am PST, Sunday 6/26/22) Krew got a new compression mask this week, with silicone in it. It is tight and he is not able to move much in it, even open his mouth to eat. The silicone really assists with flattening the scars and helps with itching. We have to smear cream all over the scars just to get the siliconed garments onto his scars. Since it is new we are easing our way into wearing it the prescribed 23 hours a day. He switches out with his red mask without the silicone to give him breaks. Making my kids wear the garments and their splints might be the biggest challenge right now. They beg to not have them on. Kyle and I know the importance of these tools and we continue to get them on him and Pepper as much as possible. One day they won’t have to wear them anymore, but for now bribery is used on the daily.

Whitney (11:13 am PST, Saturday 6/25/22) Pepper was measured for compression garments this week. She will have a full body suit, broken up into pieces to allow easier bathroom breaks. We have seen a huge difference already with Krew’s, so we are anticipating great things. We love the gal who has done all the measurements for our whole family.

Whitney (9:30 am PST, Saturday 6/18/22) Chick-fil-a run in between appointments. It was fun to slow down for a minute.  While there, a very wealthy young man, dressed in a cool suit and sunglasses in his late 20’s I’d guess pulled up in a cool car, with his music blasting. He was in line behind us. As my kids were bouncing around excited to order their meal rattling off the precise orders they wanted, some not caring what they got at all. He watched and listened. When we got to the beginning of the line and rattled off the orders he patiently waited. When we had first arrived I offered that he go ahead of us because I knew we were going to take much longer than him. He just smiled and let us go ahead. That man paid for our order. It was a very generous offer as he stated “your family is absolutely beautiful I’d be so happy to pay for your meal, would you let me?” I obliged and was so grateful. I let him know that Kade’s jaw dropped open when he saw his car and he thought it was pretty

Whitney (8:00 AM PST, Thursday, 6/16/22) We enjoyed a beautiful buffet dinner last night. We were invited to join a group of burn survivors and it was so nice meeting new friends and enjoying an outing.  Krew really connected with a new friend that has been through so much with his burns. He was so gentle and kind with Krew who in true boy fashion wanted to show off all his scars. Krew started off very uncomfortable and a bit scared around him and visually struggled seeing him with his scars and missing limbs. By the end of the night Krew left the restaurant giving him a big bear hug.  Pepper really enjoyed sitting by dad and it was the first time she was independent in public. It was so nice to see her go up and get her own food and enjoy casual conversation with other adults. She’s a light and I’m so excited to watch her shine!  Thank you @myscarsarebeautiful

Whitney (11:21 am PST, Monday 6/13/22) After 158 days, 42 surgeries and countless procedures in the Pediatric ICU, Pepper was finally discharged last Saturday. It was an exciting morning when Pepper woke up feeling better than she had in a few weeks. She specifically asked the Dr, “Can I go home today?” He was so happy to tell her Yes!  It was a lot like bringing a new born baby home from the hospital for the first time. Overjoyed, proud, excited, and a bit nervous. I drove that minivan with both hands on the wheel and laser focus. We were bringing our girl home.  She is different physically, emotionally, and mentally. We keep seeing glimpses of Pepper before the accident, but I think she will be changed forever in some ways. But with most change I’ve learned, the possibilities for an outcome are endless.  It took me a few days to really let it sink in. When it finally hit me Friday night that she was home for good and we were all under the same roof again, I cried hard. In a way I was