Hannah Storm is very happy to be returning to work.
Storm, the ESPN Sports Center anchor, will cover the Rose Parade telecast tomorrow for ABC three weeks after being severely burned in a propane grill accident at her home in Connecticut.
Storm suffered first degree burns to her face and neck, and second degree burns to her chest and hands.
AP describes how the accident, which burned off her eyebrows, eyelashes, and a lot of her hair, occurred:
“The award-winning sportscaster and producer was preparing dinner outside her home in Connecticut on the night of Dec. 11 when she noticed the flame on the grill had gone out. She turned off the gas and when she reignited it ‘there was an explosion and a wall of fire came at me’ …
“With her left hand, she tore off her burning shirt. She tried to use another part of her shirt to extinguish the flames that engulfed her head and chest, while yelling for help. Her 15-year-old daughter, Hannah, called 911 and a computer technician who was working in the house grabbed some ice as Storm tried to cool the burns.”
Storm was transported to the Trauma and Burn Center at Westchester (New York) Medical Center for treatment.
She has been recuperating at home since then, and reportedly hasn’t left the house over the three-week period other than to attend Christmas Eve Mass. Her left hand is still in bandages.
Hannah Storm feels fortunate to have survived this freak accident:
” ‘More than anything, I feel gratitude. Something like this really makes you appreciate everything you have, even the chance to wake up on New Year’s Day and do your job.’ “
[Image credit: Sam Aronov / Shutterstock.com ]
