Corbyn Wiggs
It is a cherished tradition. Christal Wigg's family meet at her parent's home in Panama City to celebrate Thanksgiving every year. "On Wednesday we bake pies," she said. "Wednesday night is game night, then on Thursday morning we put the turkey in the oven and finish our cooking for the meal." But in 2016, the tradition turned tragic when 15-month-old Corbyn, Christal's son, was severely burned.
"We put food and items that were in crock pots and a roaster in a side room and closed the door to keep the children out," she said. But somehow the door was ajar and little Corbyn managed to get inside. "I was getting the turkey out of the oven when I heard him scream. I went looking for him and saw my father carrying him out of that room. His little hands were severely blistered, and he had burns on his arms and legs." Christal decided it would be quicker to put Corbyn in her car and drive him to the hospital. He was sedated and flown to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia for treatment.
That was the beginning of Corbyn's ongoing treatment for his severely burned hands. "The burns on his legs and arms healed, but the palms of his hands required skin grafts," said Christal. The first attempt for a graft used cadaver skin but it didn't take. Doctor's then used skin from Corbyn's thigh. "He's so proud of his 'square' and he shows it to everyone. That's what he calls the scar on his leg," she said.
As Corbyn's ongoing treatments continued, it took a toll on the single mother of three children. "I would drive eight hours on a Wednesday to get there, stay the night, take him to his treatment at 6:00am, and drive home the next day. Sometimes I would drive back on Thursday evening to avoid losing a third day of work," she said. Eventually, she had to quit her job as a 911 operator because of the frequent travel to Augusta. Then something wonderful happened for Christal and Corbyn. Capital Hospital in Tallahassee opened its Burn Clinic created through an affiliation with the Joseph M. Still Burn Center.
"It saves me days," she said. "Instead of an eight-hour drive, it is down to two hours. And the wonderful thing is that we see the same doctor that treated Corbyn in Augusta because he rotates in the clinic in Tallahassee." Shawn Fagan, MD is the Chief Medical Officer for the Burn Center in Augusta. He is board certified in surgical critical care. "Dr. Fagan is amazing and so are all of the staff at Capital Hospital." Corbyn is now benefitting from laser grafting treatments. "Laser treatments are painful, so they put him to sleep while they do it. But the recovery is drastically better than grafting. It softens the hard, damaged skin and offers flexibility and mobility for my little guy. The process is so much better for him."
The JMS Burn Clinic at Capital Hospital is the only outpatient burn clinic serving patients in South Georgia and the Florida panhandle. The clinic treats patients of all ages for a wide-range of injuries, including thermal, chemical and electrical burns, skin and soft tissue disorders and traumatic extremity injuries. The burn clinic is open every Wednesday for new patients or follow-up from inpatient status at one of the Joseph M. Still Burn Centers. The team is comprised of highly specialized surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and registered nurses, all trained to be able to assist our patients from initial burn injury to the return of normal activity.
"I'm grateful to Dr. Fagan and the Burn Clinic team at Capital Hospital for the excellent care they have given my son," she said. With more time now, Christal plans to realize her own dream of becoming a paramedic and began classes this summer. "Having his treatment so much closer to home has given me and my children more control of our lives."