Every once in a while a story pops up about a devastating, unpredictable accident that gets spun into a cautionary tale — especially if it involves children.
Sometimes there is no moral of the story, though, other than to realize that children are often capable of more than we expect and that danger lurks around every corner, even within the relative safety of our homes.
Parents Tony and Rochenda Golightly from Powder Springs, Georgia, suffered a horrible ordeal after their 17-month-old son experienced one such freak accident last month. As the story has circulated, the family has opened up about the situation and many have helped support them financially, bringing a positive to this otherwise sad tale.
On Nov. 12, Amahd Black, the couple’s baby, somehow managed to outmaneuver a baby gate and got into the kitchen, where a candle was burning.
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The baby, also called “Bubby,” then found a container of Vicks VapoRub and poured it onto the candle, igniting himself as the flames exploded.
The horrifying incident was caught on the family’s nanny cam and is forever seared into the minds of the parents.
“He was on fire here, and I seen a little ball of light, that’s how it was, you couldn’t even make out that it was a person, on camera, it just looked like a circle of light running down the hallway,” Rochenda Golightly said, according to WXIA-TV.
Bubby was transported to the pediatric burn center in Augusta, where he was sedated and found to be suffering from second and third-degree burns on over 40 percent of his body.
Because the parents have other children and have had to stop working in order to care for their littlest, they opened a GoFundMe, which has raised almost $15,000.
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“He will stay to recover somewhere around 60-90 days at the facility which is located 3 hours away and we need help temporarily closing our business while we care for Amahd and our 3 other children which are the ages of 9,11,15,” the fundraising page states.
“Thank you to any one that Donates and Prays for us in advance.”
Rochenda Golightly is doing everything she can to remind Amahd of their love, but it has been understandably difficult to see him sedated and unresponsive when he was such a happy, joyful child before the accident.
“I rub his leg and I sing to him. I cover him with the blanket and hold his little hand,” she said, according to a post by Kaitlyn Ross with 11Alive.
Amahd is looking at a minimum 90-day stay at the hospital, which means the parents will likely be spending a Christmas away from home and dividing their time with their kids.
The little guy will likely be sedated much of that time, and doctors have warned that he may have withdrawals, too, when he comes off the strong pain medication.
The family is struggling at home, too, feeling like their house is no longer a home. It’s no longer a safe, comforting place like it used to be.
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“It feels empty, and I know it feels awful to say, but it just feels like a crime scene here. It doesn’t feel like home anymore,” Rochenda Golightly said. “My daughter says she feels so dark here, and she doesn’t want to be here. She wishes we could just move.
“I just want him home. I want him home. I know recovery is going to be long, but I just can’t wait for him to be here.
“I’m just so scared, like for … how things will be … every time I walk in there I just break down.”
In addition to the GoFundMe, the parents are grateful for any cards people want to send to Bubby. Cards can be sent to Amahd Black at 3651 Wheeler Rd, Augusta, GA 30909.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
