Each year during the holiday season, an evening is arranged to honor the courageous adult burn survivors who have been treated at the Grossman Burn Center. This year, more than 400 people attended the event, which took place on Dec. 3 at the Grossman Burn Center’s flagship facilities at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center. 75 of the attendees were burn survivors.
“The annual holiday reunion gives our adult burn survivors the opportunity to celebrate their success, exchange stories and share gratitude with nurses, doctors and each other,” said Dr. A. Richard Grossman. “Most come year after year, establishing relationships with one another that last a lifetime.”
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Festivities began with a Pasadena Fire Department bagpiper, Los Angeles Fire Department color guard and welcome message from Grossman Burn Center founder, Dr. A. Richard Grossman. During the evening, burn survivors and their supporters spoke about their experiences emphasizing this year’s theme, Strength in Support. Recent patient Derek Thomas, discharged from West Hills Hospital after an 11-month recovery from a devastating auto accident that left him severely burned, recounted his road to recovery.
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A silent auction to fund the Circle of Care Burn Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of burn survivors and their families, also took place. Live carolers, caricaturists and photos with Santa added to the festivities. Grossman Burn Center employees and volunteers organized, decorated and ran the event.
About Grossman Burn Center:
The Grossman Burn Center has been providing comprehensive burn care to the people of Southern California for the past three decades. Those individuals who experience the tragedy and suffering of burn injuries have needs on many levels. The Burn Survivors Support Group, established at the Grossman Burn Center in 1983, provides a forum for burn survivors to begin the lifelong process of recovery.
Founded in 1969 by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, the Grossman Burn Center is the largest plastic surgery-based burn practice in the western United States. Headquartered in West Hills, CA, with facilities in Santa Ana, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Lafayette, LA, and Phoenix, AZ, the Grossman Burn Center is in the midst of a national expansion and has plans to open additional burn centers throughout the country. The Grossman Burn Center is renowned for its expertise in providing acute and reconstructive burn care, rehabilitation, and post-treatment emotional and psychological support. It has received global recognition for its treatment of some of the most difficult and high profile burn cases in the world. For more information: www.grossmanburncenter.com.
About West Hills Hospital & Medical Center:
West Hills Hospital & Medical Center is a full-service acute care facility located in West Hills, CA, in the western San Fernando Valley. The 225 bed facility recently completed an $80 million expansion that includes a new Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Outpatient Services, Cardiac Catheterization Labs, The Grossman Burn Center and facility renovations. West Hills Hospital was the first Accredited Chest Pain Center in Los Angeles County, and also recently received a Certificate of Distinction as a Primary Stroke Center from the Joint Commission. Additionally, West Hills Hospital was awarded Center of Excellence status from Medicare for our Bariatric Surgery program. For more information: www.WestHillsHospital.com.
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