Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.
Abigail Alexander, from Ohio, US, endured life-changing third-degree burns over nearly half of her body and has shared her appearance six years after the incident.
At 18, Abigail was involved in a devastating explosion that almost ended her life. She and her British colleague, Zoe Eleftheriou, were riding a motorcycle in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in 2019 while working as teachers when a nearby gas station burst into flames.
A fuel tanker carrying 440 gallons of gasoline caught fire, injuring over a dozen individuals, including Abigail and 22-year-old Zoe from Kent.
Abigail was left with severe burns on 40 percent of her body, with her face suffering second and third-degree burns.
Throughout her recovery, she underwent skin grafts and numerous surgeries. Now, Abigail has shared her remarkable transformation on Reddit through a series of images.
The now 23-year-old mother celebrated her progress, noting in the caption of her post that it has been ‘almost six years post burn!’ The post included six pictures chronicling her recovery journey, from being rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries to her current state.
The initial three images reveal the severe nature of her burns while she lay in her hospital bed, her hair cropped short and her body swathed in bandages, connected to IV drips and oxygen masks.
Despite the severity of her injuries, one image captures her smiling.
The series then transitions to current photos of Abigail, including one where she is on a boat in denim shorts and a bikini, and another showing her smiling with her baby daughter. Her once short hair is now long, and although scarring remains on her arms and legs, her face shows few signs of the burns.
Abigail, who humorously refers to herself as a ‘crispy mom,’ explained on Reddit that she was in a coma during the most frightening moments and faced her toughest days during recovery in the US.
“It definitely felt like I was missing out on life,” Abbey said about her recovery. “I went from being gorgeous and unstoppable to being burnt, head shaved, and in an unhappy marriage.”
“I’m happy I’ve moved on from 2/3 of those things. I would go through all that pain again though to end up where I am now.”
“I’m happily engaged, I have the most amazing daughter and life is better than it’s ever been.”
“Relearning to walk was a b****,” she continued. “But overall I recovered ridiculously quick! I have my hard days still but I’m just trying to keep going forward.”
Regarding her scars, Abbey mentioned being ‘super splotchy’ initially, but now she has a ‘smallish scar’ on her face and describes her arms as ‘crispy as hell.’
“My left leg is one giant skin graft, I have a hole in my right leg (I make strangers take shots out of it at the bar) and both my feet are burned! I also have scars from the donor sites on both my thighs, my whole back, and my lower stomach,” Abbey added.
Nevertheless, Abigail now appears completely transformed and has embraced her ‘blow up glow up’ with pride.
“Something about seeing my baby with my skin grafts just makes me emotional. I never imagined I would experience happiness like this again,” she added.