It happened in an instant.  2010 BHS alumnus Alexis Devericks went from being a typical college student to a burn survivor one night shortly before she turned 21.  At her part-time job, boiling water was accidentally spilled down her face, chest and arm as she closed the restaurant.  That defining moment kept her in her home for six months, battling depression and recovering from first, second and third degree burns that required skin grafts from her thigh.

 

Now, her story of resilience is being featured on BuzzFeed’s Web site, a leader in digital news and entertainment.   She was selected from thousands of entries regarding a prompt which asked viewers to share their stories of something they love about themselves that they once hated.

 

Recovering from burns takes a long time, requiring Devericks to wear a compression garment that had to be custom fitted every two months.  During the process, she had the opportunity to attend the Pheonix Society for Burn Survivors Annual Burn Congress, which is the largest gathering of burn survivors in the world. 

 

“The experience was life-changing.  Meeting people who had lost loved ones or had limbs missing and meeting others like myself who had less noticeable scarring was a turning point for me,” said Devericks.  “I went from being despondent and sullen to being engaged again and full of joy.”

 

Surrounding herself with positive people who had experienced the same thing as her was just the medicine she needed to build her self-confidence back up. 

 

“I realized having imperfections wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but to embrace and find ways to help others,” she said.  Being on BuzzFeed gave her a new outlet in which to tell her story and help others be less self-conscious about themselves.

 

“I now work in skincare and makeup at Elder Beerman and I have daily opportunities to tell my story.  I know it sounds cliché, but it truly is what’s on the inside that counts and what was once devastating to me has turned into something I love about myself because of healing and perspective it brought into my life.”

 

Deverick’s BuzzFeed feature can be found at BuzzFeed.com HERE.