Burn survivor’s dad: “He never gave up, so I never gave up”

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Riley Shoemaker arrived at Riley Hospital for Children three months ago, unable to sit up, walk or feed himself.

But he was alive, more than a year after a terrifying fire pit accident left him with burns covering 85% of his body.

His recovery had stalled after treatment at two Michigan hospitals closer to his home, so his dad, Jared Shoemaker, agreed to have his 14-year-old son transferred to Riley Hospital in August to begin the grueling next phase of his journey.

The Michigan father recounted what he learned of the events of Mother’s Day weekend 2024 that led to his son’s horrific burns. Riley and his younger sister, Brook, were visiting family when someone threw gasoline on a fire in a fire pit. No adults were supervising at the time, said Shoemaker, who was not present when the accident occurred.

“The kid next to (Riley) threw gas on the fire. The gas can caught on fire and shot a geyser of flames right out on my son.”

An adult who was in the house finally snuffed out the flames after two minutes, leaving Riley with devastating injuries that he was not expected to survive.

“They gave him a zero chance of survival. They couldn’t understand how he was still alive,” Shoemaker said. “I just started praying.”

He stubbornly refused to give up on his son, even through multiple skin grafts, life-threatening infections, organ failure and other heartbreaking setbacks.

“He never gave up, so I never gave up,” the single dad said.

That strength followed the family to Indianapolis, where the experienced team at Riley Hospital took over the teen’s care.

Riley Hospital is Indiana’s only burn center verified by the American Burn Association dedicated to serving children. The Burn Center at Riley includes a 10-bed inpatient unit where patients can be cared for by a multidisciplinary team from intensive care, through therapy, to discharge.

When Riley arrived three months ago, he was in rough shape, his dad said. More surgeries were needed, along with intense physical and occupational therapy and management of the high level of pain medications he was on.

Riley’s scalp was the only place left for surgeons to get skin to help cover his wounds, so they cut off his long hair. Shoemaker cut his own hair in solidarity with his son.

“They made it work,” he said. “I am so impressed with these doctors.”

Dr. Fatih Zor was the boy’s surgeon for several operations during his time at Riley and was also there cheering and clapping for the teen as he took his first steps upon discharge last week.

“When he came to us, he’d been in bed all the time. He had lots of pain and no movement,” Dr. Zor said.

The team had three areas of focus: closing the remaining wounds (particularly on his back and thighs), adjusting his pain meds, and starting intense physical rehabilitation.

“For him, it’s not only about survival,” Dr. Zor said, “but about going back to living. That is the most important part of what we do here.”

That meant buying in to what the doctors and therapists were saying. It meant doing the work and following the plan, guided by a team of specialists whose goal was to give Riley the best chance at a full life.

“Rehab really had their hands full with him,” Shoemaker acknowledged. “Little by little, they got more and more movement out of him. Now, he can walk short distances without the walker, he can get up out of a chair, he can eat, write his name again and play games.”

Shoemaker, who stayed with his daughter at the Ronald McDonald House during his son’s time at Riley, said he and his kids are trained in martial arts, which he credits for his son’s determination to recover and walk again.

Burn Center nurse Maggie Hay, who was one of Riley’s primary nurses during his recovery, witnessed the progress he made.

“We had to start basically in the middle of his care, and he had already developed tendencies and habits. We had to break down some of those habits. We had to build trust,” Hay said.

“It’s been neat seeing him from Day 1 to now,” the nurse said, as Riley participated in one of his last therapy sessions with rehab physical therapist Abby Dunlap. “His personality started shining through more and more, and we’re seeing more of that goofy side of him.”

Riley is stubborn, Hay said, which helped him during recovery.

“Three months ago, he couldn’t even sit up in bed, and now he’s walking around.”

Dunlap also remembers those early days when she started working with Riley. The two have an easygoing relationship now, but it wasn’t always the case.

“Remember the day you asked me, ‘How am I going to walk again,’ she said to Riley as he worked through therapy. “I told you, ‘The same way you used to walk – one foot in front of the other.’”

That’s exactly what Riley did Nov. 13 when he walked out of the burn unit, to cheers and applause from his care team. He leaned on his walker then but let go once the family got over to the inpatient rehab unit, where he pinned his butterfly to the wall, signifying the end to inpatient treatment.

Dr. Zor watched it all with a sense of satisfaction and joy.

“It made me very happy,” the plastic surgeon said.

And while he agrees that the teen’s recovery can be considered miraculous, he gives most of the credit to Team Riley – both the hospital team and the family unit.

“Every single person on the burn unit contributed to his success.”

Riley, who will continue therapy and follow-up visits at home in Michigan, has come to terms with his injuries and is comfortable with his story being shared, even if he’s a little shy about telling it himself. His dad has picked up that mantle.

“We’ve gone through so much that we need to be able to use this story to help other people,” Shoemaker said. “We didn’t go through all this pain and suffering just to hold it inside.”

FIRE SAFETY

With autumn a popular season for bonfires and fire pits, fire safety experts advise everyone to follow strict guidelines to prevent injury. Tips include:

• Make sure it is not too dry or windy for a fire.
• Never leave a campfire or brushfire unattended. An adult should supervise at all times.
• Keep a bucket of water and shovel nearby to extinguish the fire.
• Never put anything but wood into the fire.
• Never use an accelerant such as gasoline, diesel fuel or kerosene.
• Don’t pull sticks out of the fire.
• Keep a safe distance from the fire at all times.

If an injury does occur, the familiar refrain “stop, drop and roll” really does work to extinguish the fire, doctors say.

Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org