Mother and son recover from debilitating burn by giving back and practising 'superpower'
SOOKE, B.C. — Although he’s not faster than a locomotive yet, and despite effortless flips on his trampoline, still unable to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Levi Choo is developing superpowers of sorts.
“I got these when I was a baby,” Levi says.
The now six-year-old got the scars on his hands when he was eight months old — so the origin story goes — during a getaway with his parents.
“There was a fire at the hotel we were sleeping at,” Levi says.
Little Levi actually touched the glass cover on the fireplace in their room. Although it had been turned off, it was still hot, and badly burned his hand.
“As a mother, you don’t forget that kind of cry,” Breanna Choo says.
Breanna will also never forget racing to Emergency, with her baby’s hands wrapped in cold cloths.
“By the time we got to the hospital the cloths were very hot,” Breanna recalls. “Like they had steam coming off them.”
It was the beginning of a year-long journey that included visits to multiple hospitals, skin graft surgery and Levi learning to live with his little hands wrapped away or confined to cast.
Instead of crawling on his hands, he would army-crawl on his arms. Instead of picking up food with his fingers, he would place his forearms together to lift to his mouth.
“That was really amazing to watch, that he adapted,” Breanna says. “He was eight and a half months old and he’s taking this better than we are.”
But despite Levi’s remarkable resilience, Breanna and her husband remained racked with guilt.
“But then I tapped into this other part of me,” Breanna says. “I got to let other people know that this can just happen.”
So Breanna now volunteers to raise awareness about burn prevention, and helps support the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, and their Hometown Heroes Lottery fundraiser.
“That’s my path now,” Breanna says. “I’m not going to sit here and feel bad for us that it happened. I want to help it not happen to other people.”
Which brings us back to Levi, who proudly shows off his scars.
“They sometimes hurt and feel itchy,” Levi says of the deep, dark scars on the palm of his hands. “[But] they’re cool!”
“He uses those hands really good,” Breanna smiles, watching how Levi can now build intricate heroes out of LEGO, just like his siblings.
And when I ask what his superpower would be, Levi fearlessly proclaims, “Fire!”
Levi says if there was a boy — separated from his family by a wall of ice — he would shoot fire from his hands and melt it so they could be reunited.
“If [people] are in danger you need to make sure they’re safe and not hurt,” Levi says. “You need to help them.”
Because after being supported by so many healthcare heroes, and after watching his mom give back, Levi has learned the greatest power is the one we can all learn to wield — helping others.
Ticket sales from the Hometown Heroes Lottery support VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, raising essential funds for specialized adult health services at VGH and UBC Hospital, GF Strong Rehab Centre, and Vancouver Community Health Services. They also support Burn Fund programs, such as the Home Away program, which offers accommodations to burn and trauma survivors at the Burn Fund Centre in Vancouver, mental health support for burn survivors and fire fighters, as well as the annual Burn Camp for young burn survivors.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.