Burn victim discharged from hospital
MONT VERNON – The
Mont Vernon man seriously
injured in a fire in
Taiwan this summer has
been discharged from the
Taiwan hospital earlier
this week and will be flying
home.
Alex Haas, 27, was
burned over 90 percent
of his body during the fire
in June that injured more
than 500 people at a water
park.
Now he is staying in a
hotel and being cared for
by his parents, said his
cousin, Melanie Tamposi,
in an email.
Alex goes back to the
hospital every other day
for outpatient therapy,
she said, and is doing a
lot of physical therapy
and "walking, climbing
stairs and just trying to
stay as active as possible
without overdoing it.
"He’s pushing himself
as hard as he can because
he wants to resume ‘normal’
life as soon as possible,"
she said.
Friends and family are
raising money for Haas,
and the Go Fund Me website
says more than half
of the $200,000 goal has
been reached, from donations
from 1,502 people
and businesses.
Alex’s mother and father
have been in Taiwan,
and Leslie Haas reported
on Aug. 23 that he was
discharged.
"He will be going back
to the hospital on Monday
for his bandage changes
and physical therapy,"
Alex’s mother, reported
on social media. "He will
continue this every other
day until we go home …
Alex first and foremost
will need to rest and readjust
to his life with a lot
of rehabilitation."
Alex had been in Taiwan
teaching English
with the HESS International
Educational Group.
On June 26, about 1,000
spectators had been at
the Color Play Asia event
at the Formosa Fun Coast
water park, just outside
the capital Taipei when
a night of fun turned
nightmarish. The fire was
sparked by an accidental
explosion of colored theatrical
powder thrown
from a stage.
During the weeks following
the fire at least 10
of the victims died, and
of the 500 people injured,
more than 200 sustained
serious injuries.
In previous posts his
mother reported that visiting
doctors from Johns
Hopkins Burn Center
made a special trip to
MacKay Hospital in Taiwan
and "provided a
vote of confidence in the
Taiwanese doctors’ treatment
of Alex. We already
knew they were doing
great, but it was nice to
know nothing was lost in
translation."
One surgery involved
using skin from his foot
and calf to replace damaged
skin on his arms and
legs.
Tamposi said it will
probably take about a
year and a half until he is
able to get back to "working,
exercising, etc. full
time. The plan for when
he gets home is to check
in with a local hospital
to make sure his wounds
and everything are still in
good shape after the long
flight from Taiwan."
Support from people
has been vital to his recovery,
she said.
"The doctors, nurses,
and hospital staff as well
as the thousands praying
across the world have
also been major factors
in his recovery. We never
lost hope, even when we
were told he had a 10 percent
chance of survival.
As his family, we’ve been
overwhelmed by Alex’s
resilience and tenacity in
such a terrifying time."