Christian and I have been together for 14 years now. 9 years ago, we decided to build our future together and got engaged. We didn’t have money for a wedding so we asked our parents for help and luckily they agreed to help with the wedding but for various reasons, we haven’t been able to do the wedding yet. Meanwhile, as we were planning the wedding, Christian lost his job and was in a fire that burned more than 25% of his upper body including his face, neck, chest, and arms. He had deep 2nd and 3rd degree burns and had to stay in the hospital for a month. It was so painful to see him get scrubbed every other day to peel off the old skin. He was in so much pain that he had to take lots of painkillers. Christian’s whole front side was on fire from his face down to his waist. I didn’t know it but doctors say that burns are one of the most painful injuries and treating them is even more painful than the initial burn. Christian endures the pain. He may look fine but he’s actually in pain all the time. After being discharged, bills were adding up so he went back to work in construction immediately. By working hard physical labor in construction, he developed a large painful Keloid scar. He has daily episodes of shooting nerve pain and itchiness. Once he starts scratching it, he can't stop even though it's bleeding. The sweat gets under the skin and stinks really bad so he has to take a shower every time before he meets anyone. When he takes a shower, he starts scratching it again and turns into a hulk with his forehead against the wall. I feel so much pain to see him doing this every day. He’s sleeping on his stomach to press down his scar every night. We live in Hawaii and it’s hot but he’s wearing a black shirt to bed otherwise he gets blood on the sheets. He went to see many doctors to treat his scar and pain. All of the dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and burn specialists said that his scar is the largest, thickest, worst Keloid scar that they have ever seen. For 7 years, Christian’s been seeing specialists to treat his scar in many different ways but insurance won’t cover the procedures that work. Even though Christian is in pain, the insurance companies consider the procedure cosmetic. We talked to the managers and the director of the insurance company for over a year and they still refuse to cover it. I wanted to help Christian so I researched online and I found a doctor that specializes only in burn scars and nerve damage in Korea. I contacted his office and sent them photos. The doctor immediately knew how painful and itchy Christian's scars were since his daughter was also a burn victim and he was confident that he could take away Christian's pain and itchiness, and greatly reduce the thickness of the scar. The problem was that this doctor was in South Korea, and without having seen the scar in person, he estimated that the cost would be over $150,000 over a period of 2-3 years or more with visits every 3 months. We weren't sure how we could make this thing happen. Then COVID happened and South Korea closed its doors to foreigners. Christian's been praying and asking God for a miracle. He had to ask his parents for help but sadly they weren't able to help him. Everything seems so difficult and our life is moving forward very slowly. For many years, Christian’s been working hard every day trying to pay for treatments from different doctors here in Hawaii. The Korean doctor was charging $15,000 for 1 treatment and doctors in Hawaii were charging $1,500 - $3,000 per treatment every 4 - 6 weeks but he often postponed his treatment due to lack of funds and the intense pain from the treatment. The treatment uses a series of Fraxel lasers that burns hundreds/thousands of holes deep into his skin in combination with many steroid shots. His doctor told him that a scar doesn't have pores so the numbing cream doesn't absorb into the skin and that treatment is extremely painful. His treatment in Hawaii was working very slowly and it became less effective each time. He often got infections after the treatments because he was working construction and he had to go to the ER a few times for antibiotics. We also consulted about skin grafts but we were advised that the area was too large, and it was unsure if he would develop another scar over the grafted area. So Christian’s only option was to continue getting the laser treatments. Then the answer came. As COVID began to finish, South Korea opened up to foreigners again and we made plans to visit the doctor. Thankfully, Christian’s parents were able to get our plane tickets and my mom was able to host us. On the day of our departure, we missed our flight. We tried so hard to move forward with this trip and we ended up missing our doctor’s appointment. We asked God why was this so difficult? Was he closing this door? When we arrived in Korea the next day, the doctor would not make time to see us and his office said that the cost of the treatment would be over $200,000 now! This doctor that we were trying to see had gotten so famous for treating burn victims. He has appeared on TV and YouTube and his prices have continued to go up as his schedule is completely booked. I ended up finding another doctor that provides the same burn scar treatment and he ended up being the original doctor who developed this burn scar treatment program and we were able to see him the very next day! God was leading the way! We were amazed at how he was helping us. This was the reason why we missed our flight! The doctor knew what needed to be done to treat Christian’s scar but because of the cost and the time needed, Christian was only able to do a sample size treatment. Because the scar is so large, his treatment will be on 2 separate days for 6 hours each and Christian will have to endure excruciating pain being shot with tens of thousands of holes from 4 different kinds of lasers. The doctor understood how much pain Christian has been living with and he wanted to help Christian so he was able to give us a special rate. The sample area where Christian received treatment was amazing! It took away the pain for 2 months and the thickness of the scar was greatly reduced. The doctor suggested coming back in 3 months but we haven’t been able to come up with the funds yet. Christian has to come up with $120,000 to treat his scar completely. One Sunday morning, I was sleeping and then I woke up all of a sudden. I felt something telling me that I must attend today’s service. When we went to our church, the message was about a burn patient and what the wife did to support her husband. God spoke to me. I must do this for Christian! I decided to make a LFEBridge for Christian. Christian, is not used to asking for help. He was taught to work hard and make it happen on his own. A pastor said many hands make light work. We hope soon, we can resume Christian’s scar treatment. Please be a part of Christian's miracle. Anything you feel like giving helps. Please tell Christian's story to someone else, your friends, or your church group. The more hands, the lighter the load! And please keep Christian in your prayers! We appreciate all the love and support. It helps so much! Thank you all and God Bless you and your loved ones! Aloha! [Here's the update! Thank you very much for your prayers and opinions. Christian has tried many different types of treatments in these past 7 years including compression garments with inlaid silicone gel sheets, injections, various scar creams, various scar gel sheets, even natural remedies like vinegar, oils, aloe, and several fraxel/CO2 lasers. I started my research from America first and it led me to this Korean doctor that God helped us find. He is Vice-Chairman of the Korean Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery and is recognized in the international medical community for researching and developing laser treatment technology specialized for burn scars. The way he treats his burn pattern is very unique and his treatment is using a specific type of Fraxel laser that is 5x more powerful than other Fraxel lasers. He developed a “Pin hole” treatment since 2005. His clinic has documented his findings in 150 case studies in Europe and American medical journals for the last 20 years. It’s very important who is providing treatment and how they are treating the burn scar. Christian said that every time he gets treatment, it's so painful. It feels like thousands of burning needles are shooting him. A doctor with the same lasers will not get the same results depending on the power settings used, the depth that the laser is going into the layers of the skin, hole size, hole pattern concentration, and frequency. The least number of treatments needed is the best. This Korean doctor has treated over 3,900 burn patients successfully. He’s a master of using lasers to treat burn scars and knows how to treat Christian’s scars very well. Hopefully Christian can have a healing miracle as well soon! Have a blessed day! Aloha to you and your loved ones! During a service, my Pastor said, “People keep praying to God expecting him to answer their prayers without doing anything. People ask themselves why didn’t God give me a job. You have to get off the couch, stop watching TV and apply in order for God to bless you with a job.” Prayer alone is not enough. We also have to do our part! Together with God, we can bless Christian with the treatment to stop his painful itchy scar!
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