Beating the Odds with the Help of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the winter 2023 issue of NEXT magazine. Our online version includes more stories about innovative research happening on the MCV Campus.

By Danielle Pierce

On Sept. 10, 2021, a horrific workplace accident left Charlie Anne Xavier fighting for her life. She was admitted to VCU Health’s Evans-Haynes Burn Center with third-degree burns over 85% of her body and a very low chance of survival.

But Charlie — a mother of two young boys — knew that she had to fight with everything in her to make it home to her family. And fight she did. After more than 170 days in the hospital, over 50 surgeries and countless wound treatments, Charlie left the Burn Center to return home — six months earlier than anticipated.

“The team at the burn center is phenomenal and they saved my life,” Xavier said. “Dr. Feldman pieced me back together, and I found the strength to pull through. I kept fighting. I never lost hope. And I was determined to get back home and be a mother to my boys.”

“Charlie had one of the worst burns we can see and was one of the sickest people in the hospital at the time she was admitted,” said Michael Feldman, M.D., medical director of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center. “That’s always a very difficult situation, but we train for this. This is our passion. This is where we put all these resources together. This is why we’re here.”

The first 72 hours are critical for a burn patient. Immediately after being admitted into the hospital, the care team worked to support every aspect of Charlie’s care — from her heart, lungs and blood pressure to making plans for surgery, skin reconstruction and proper nutrition. The work is exceptionally complex and involves many different departments, individuals and resources working as a cohesive team to achieve the best possible outcomes.

“As soon as Charlie was admitted, we began working closely with nursing, therapy, nutrition, respiratory therapy and so many others, all of which are designed to help maximize patient outcomes.” Dr. Feldman said.

From the time that Xavier was admitted to the burn center in September 2021 to the time of her discharge, countless VCU Health team members spanning dozens of specialties played a role in her recovery.

For me, the number one thing that I had to learn, and am still learning, is patience — patience with myself and patience with everyone around me.

Charlie Anne Xavier

On the front lines, specialists such as nephrologists, surgical intensivists, anesthesiologists, trauma surgeons, burn nurses, care partners, respiratory therapists, physical, occupational and speech therapists, clinical dieticians, pharmacists and wound care specialists were involved in her day-to-day care.

“The staff doesn’t know how much they helped me,” Xavier said. “I would have gone crazy if I didn’t make friends and talk with them. A lot of the staff got to know me, and we had really in-depth conversations. It fulfilled me because it was as if I was having conversations with my girlfriends at home.”

Some of the toughest times of her recovery came during wound care. Third-degree burns have a high risk of infection and must be treated daily. Wound care treatment consists of the unwrapping and cleaning of each wound. This is followed by allowing the area to air out without any bandages on for four to five hours. Once the wounds air out, providers apply special wound healing products and wrap the wounds again.

“I had burns on the majority of my body, so the process of unraveling the bandages, airing out, and then putting them back on was long and painful,” Xavier said.

For wound care, the room had to be kept at 86 degrees or warmer and anyone who entered the room had to wear unique personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of infection.

“I will never forget this one nurse. She was very pregnant at the time, and she would come into my very hot room in a bunny [full protective] suit,” Xavier said. “She would come in and dance and sing with me while tending to my wounds, and I kept thinking how hot and uncomfortable she must be, but not once did she show it.”

While wound care was one aspect of her treatment, Xavier’s path to recovery was marked by over 50 surgeries and hundreds of procedures during her time at the Evans-Haynes Burn Center. Her doctors originally thought that she would be in the hospital for at least 12 months, based on similar cases that they had seen in the past. Charlie was able to leave the hospital earlier thanks to the burn center’s best-in-class care.

“Her recovery has been remarkable,” Dr. Feldman said. “A large part of it is due to the technology advances and the care team at the burn center but an even larger part is Charlie. Her determination to get home to her boys, her strength, her resilience. She’s a star.”

One hundred and seventy-two days after the incident, Xavier returned to her husband and her two sons — defying all odds of survival. While she still has a long journey ahead of her, she is now recovering at home, surrounded by her family, friends and community.

“For me, the number one thing that I had to learn, and am still learning, is patience — patience with myself and patience with everyone around me,” she said. “I am still working on self-acceptance and understanding that my new life is very different from life before. I am not able to do a lot of the things that I would do previously. I have to depend on a lot of people to help me, but our community is amazing.”

Xavier and her husband, André, are also committed to giving back and using their platform to share their story to inspire others. The pair recently published I  Almost Lost Her, a memoir detailing their journey of tragedy and triumph.

“People from all over the world reached out to us and provided support, prayers, cards and messages,” André said. “It has been an incredible and humbling experience, and we understand that we now have a responsibility to share Charlie’s story and to encourage and inspire others who may have gone through or are going through similar experiences.”

But the most important thing for her right now?

“Just being a mom to my two boys.”

If you are interested in supporting the work of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center at VCU Health, contact Nathan Bick, senior director of development in the Office of Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations, at 804-827-0387 or nathan.bick@vcuhealth.org.