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On April 2nd 13 year old Robert Lord was burnt up inside his home. He survived, but within 24 hours, he had to be put on life support, the third degree burns to his back and leg were draining his young body. But, he was saved when an opportunity came to be flown abroad for treatment. And tonight the teenager is well on the road to recovery. Jacqueline Godwin visited with him today and found that the scars from the fire are on his body and in his traumatized memory.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
It will be two weeks since thirteen year old Robert Lord has been back home but the teenager won’t be able to return school for another five months. That’s because he is still being treated for third degree burns to his right leg and back. The first form student of Canaan High School became trapped when fire engulfed the home of a next door neighbour where he was spending the night. Today Robert has difficulty sleeping as he still remembers what happened to him.

Robert Lord, Burn Victim
“I remember waking up. My sister was hollering for me and I woke up and when I woke up, I couldn’t see anything – the room was black black black and I tried to get up but I just couldn’t and I didn’t have more strength and so I went in a corner and I thought I was going to die.”

That’s because Robert who is also an asthmatic was overcome with smoke and fell unconscious.

Jacqueline Godwin,
What was that like trying to rescue your son and not being able to reach him when he was trapped inside the house?

Marvin Lord, Father
“I would say very difficult, frustrating, knowing that your child is inside and you can’t get to him. But I didn’t give up. I made up my mind that if it was going to cost me my life, that I would go inside and get him. I wouldn’t know if I could come back out but I had made that choice to take him out. Thank God I didn’t have to go all the way inside. With the help I got him out before.”

When Robert regained consciousness he was in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital but his condition soon deteriorated and he was placed on life support. Thanks to Yvette Burks at BERT Ambulance, Robert was sent by mede-vac to Shriner’s Hospital in Cincinnati Ohio.

Marvin Lord,
“All the specialists, everyone that was responsible for Robert was waiting for him and they started to do their work immediately and I was surprised. I left Robert at 3 o’clock in the morning, went to my room, and at about 8:30 in the morning they called me from my room and told me that my son was asking for me. That was really a shock because I thought it was someone else. Knowing that he went there on life support and couldn’t breathe on his own and in approximately five to six hours he was asking for me, I was shocked.”

And while he is back at home with his family for the next six months Robert must receive daily treatment and medication to prevent infections and scarring.

Marvin Lord,
“He has to constantly, at least three or four times per day, massage a cream that they gave us to put on his body, especially on the back and on the legs.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Hence why he is out of school.

Marvin Lord,
“That is why and the biggest part of it is that because of our climate, it is much different than over there. Over there even when it is hot, it is either cool or cold and over here it is hot, especially now and that is one of the biggest reasons because then with heat it brings more heat to his body.”

And while Anis and Marvin Lord are grateful for the medical care their son received the parents strongly believe their child is alive because of prayers.

Marvin Lord,
“Everyone that we meet, they said we are praying for you – we have heard about it and it is a shock to hear what happened but most people that didn’t give any money, they gave prayers and I would want to say thanks for that because that was one of the key things that bring him back.”

Anis Lord, Mother
“And everyday like three times for the day, my husband called me and every time he told me something, like when he said okay he will take the skin graft – I ask God for my son not to go through that and when he called me back he would say no he is not going through that and I would say thank God. For the suit, when he told me they were measuring him for a suit, I was like Lord please don’t make him need that suit because here is too hot. When I called him back he was like the doctor says he doesn’t need it again and I was like thank you Jesus. Every time I prayed about something he told me, God was always there to hear and answer back my prayer.”

And as the lord family now tries to cope with the emotional trauma that follows such a disaster, their neighbour’s house has been replaced with a new wooden structure. Belize Police have yet to determine if indeed the fire was deliberately set by someone out to get the homeowner as is strongly suspected.

Anis Lord,
“Emotionally we are a wreck. It is really affecting us big time because from since he came back, he isn’t really sleeping at night. I am not sleeping. I trouble with depression and I am crying and I have to be strong for my son. So just continue pray for us to get through it. It is hard, it is rough, knowing the situation how we ended up in it. It really hurt. We need the justice also because it is hard and it hurts to know why the house got burnt down and my little boy be the one to get the hurt. That isn’t making no sense and it is really tearing us apart.”

Robert lord says he knows he has a lot of people to thank for saving his life and wanted to say it in his own words.

Robert Lord,
“Just thanks for all the help and their support. They were a big part in my getting back and so I just want to thank them.”

Anis Lord appealed to the general public to donate to the Belize Burn Victims account to help other Belizean children who may be in need of the same medical care that her son received.

Anis Lord,
“It is from two dollars to anything will be appreciated because we need to put it back and I look at the situation and it is like just like how it can happen to my son, it could happen to anybody and your child or anybody needs to fly out and the money is not put back, you won’t get the break. So it is just for support to help put back the money in the Burn Victim Account so that if it happens to anyone else, money is there to end them outside.”

Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.

If you would like to make donations to the burn victim account the Belize Bank Account the number is 695–1-1-52111. You can also contact Anis and Marvin Lord at cell phone numbers 666 -7121 0r 624 -8870. To help raise funds the Lord family will also be having a turkey dinner sale on Thursday at 3805 Iguana Street.