This the true story of Peter, an elementary student who suffered burns on 90% of his body.
Peter's burns were so severe that his mouth had to be propped open so it wouldn't seal shut in the healing process. His fingers were separated by splints so his hands wouldn't become webbed. His eyes were kept open so they wouldn't seal shut. Even after one year of rehabilitation and excruciating pain, Peter's spirit was intact. What was the first thing he did when he could walk? He helped console all the other patients by telling them that they would be all right, that they would get through it. His body may have been horribly burned, but his sense of self was whole.
Eventually, Peter had to begin junior high at a new school. Imagine going to a new school at that age and being horribly disfigured. Imagine what the other kids would say and how they would react. On his first day in the cafeteria everyone avoided him. They looked at him with horror and then whispered to one another. Kids got up and moved from tables that were close to him. One student, Laura, had the courage to approach him and to introduce herself. As they talked and ate, she looked into Peter's eyes and sensed the person beneath the scarred surface. Reading her thoughts, Peter, in his deep, raspy smoke-damaged voice, said, "Everybody is avoiding me because they don't know me yet. When they come to know me, they'll sit here with me. When they get to know the real me inside, they'll be my friends."
Somehow his life had prepared him to walk the path with dignity.
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