Fundraiser launched for ‘heroic’ Ajax man who suffered third-degree burns saving friends from a fire
Published April 13, 2022 at 3:02 pm
Last year an Ajax man saved his friend’s home from a fire and suffered third-degree burns for his heroic efforts. Now his friends hope to fund his treatment through a newly launched GoFundMe.
Just over a year ago Dorjee Tsering came over to his best friend Ivey Panyathong’s house. Having brought ice cream to the home, Tsering entered the Panythong kitchen to put dessert in the freezer.
Right away he noticed a burning smell. The wrong burner had been turned on on the stove, heating a pot full of oil. This is when his “heroic trait” stepped in, according to Panyathong.
Tsering immediately grabbed the superheated pot and whisked it out to the balcony. Before he could ask what was in the pot he lifted the lid. “He saved many of our friends and family around him by doing this,” said Panyathong in his GoFundMe plea.
Hot oil exploded from the pot and rained down on Tsering. He suffered third degree burns to his entire left hand, legs and feet. Tsering has endured the pain of the burns and treatment for over a year.
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Skin grafts were taken from his thighs to heal the wounds. However as the months dragged on, Tsering’s scars grew into keloids. These painful lesions can develop from any scar tissue, growing beyond the original wound area in claw-like growths.
Keloids don’t always hurt, but in severe cases like Tsering’s they can cause needling pain throughout the growth.
Tsering has lost mobility in his hand as a result of the extensive burns. He has seen no improvement after a years worth of surgeries and rehabilitation.
“Unfortunately doctors and surgeons here in Toronto have reached their limits and have let Dorjee know that they will not be able to do much more for him,” Panyathong said.
There is hope for Tsering though. Through a family member he has become aware of a surgeon in Thailand who specializes in keloid removal. The surgeon says he can remove the growths on Tsering’s hand and legs to restore some of his lost mobility.
Panyathong is trying to raise money through a GoFundMe campaign to send the man who saved his home to Thailand for the treatment. “These surgeries will be anything but inexpensive, so we would like to ask all of our family and friends to help us help our good friend on his road to recovery,” said Panyathong.
Tsering is set to fly to Thailand in just a few weeks and Panyathong “would love to raise these funds to help him pay for his surgery and medical and rehabilitation bills.”
On his road to recover Tsering will likely have to remain abroad for several months to recuperate before he can make the trip back home.
“We will be helping Dorjee every step of the way. He saved my friends and family that day, and for that we owe him everything. He is an amazing friend that would help anyone in a heartbeat. I would like to do the same for him,” Panythong said.
“Please help us help Dorjee,” he pleads.
Just five days after the fundraiser launched 118 donors have managed to pool together more than $13,000 of the $15,000 goal. Panyathong personally has secured more than $4,000 to help his friend.
However they aren’t done yet. The fundraiser is still live and accepting donations to get Tsering the help he needs.
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