A Florida boy has returned home for the first time in two years after more than half of his body was severely burned when he threw a gas cannister on a fire in his backyard. Nathan Scott, 6, was trying to help his dad burn yard waste in a barrel when he threw a gas can, causing an unexpected explosion on Christmas Eve in 2022.
The explosion left over 60 percent of Nathan’s body ‘severely burned.’ He spent the next two years recovering at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston, Texas. Nathan is now adjusting to a new life as a little boy with a hand amputee, grafted skin, and burn scars across his body.
His mother, Katelyn Scott, said his recovery – although long and difficult – is exceeding initial expectations. ‘It was very scary to watch him go through everything he did,’ she told News4jax. ‘We are still asking for everyone to pray. He still has a long road ahead and several more years of recovery. It is really something he will deal with forever.
‘So just learning to do everything he has ever done every, kid wants to go out and play but he is still very limited’ Katelyn told WCJB. After two years of recovery, his wounds are now closed and is working on building endurance. His mother says his lively and ‘hyper’ personality is what keeps him and those around him strong.
‘He is still very busy and hyper. I think that has helped him in the process. It has gotten him a lot further than we expected him to at this point, we thought it would be a lot longer before we could come back to visit,’ she told WCJB. Construction workers, who heard of Nathan’s tragic accident, built a special playroom with wheelchair accessibility in anticipation of his return.
‘Even after surgeries now, there are chances he will be wheelchair-bound for so many days afterward. A wheelchair can get around everywhere in the room,’ his mom, Katie Scott said to news4jax. ‘Every time he goes into a store here he is a little celebrity,’ Scott said to WCJB. ‘Everyone knows who he is and what’s going on. It is really encouraging.’
After the explosion in 2022, Nathan was rushed to UF Health in Gainesville with life-threatening injuries. He was was flown to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston, Texas, where they were better prepared to treat him.
Regarding his two year recover, Nathan said, ‘I went to therapy every day.’ He told News4jax that his favorite place at Shriners was the playroom, where he had ‘lots of fun’ but said he missed his family as he held on to his sister next to him.