Nurses, staff give special sendoff to 7-year-old burn patient at Staten Island hospital
STATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- Nurses and staff at a Staten Island hospital brightened a young burn patient's final day after her grueling recovery.
Arianna Shearin suffered 2nd and 3rd-degree burns from cooking oil on a stove on July 10 -- and the spunky 7-year-old endured immense pain during her 16-day stay in the hospital.
The nurses at Staten Island University Hospital helped her heal, and on Friday, they filled her final day in the hospital with surprises.
It didn't take long for them to learn about her bubbly personality.
"In the beginning we learned she wanted to wear her own things and make it a little more personal to her," remembered Alexa Cracolici.
Arianna's injures made it difficult to wear clothing. She especially wanted to wear her favorite shirts. But they were too tight. They would rub on her wounds.
"A friend of mine brought in some T-shirts. They were bigger. And the nurses just ran with it," Arianna's mom, Ruth Concepcion, said.
The nurses customized the shirts with bows and ribbons. They made them pretty. A connection formed over fashion.
"I'm like her. I like fashion and looking nice and stuff like that," the nurse said.
Arianna is one of five children. She left the hospital Friday. The day of her brother's twelfth birthday. She still has several weeks of physical therapy left. But she's eager to get home to her family.
She says her experience has changed her life. She appreciate what the staff did for her. So much so she now wants to be a nurse when she grows up.
"Because they help people," she said.
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