by Gail Bennison
Danny Jones III was 13 months old when he pulled a cup of hot coffee off the counter at the family home in Coconut Creek, Fla., and onto himself. Danny was burned on his face, shoulder, back, neck, ears and part of his arm. His eyes were so swollen that he couldn't open them.
"We were devastated as a family," said his mother, Nathalie Jones. "My husband had just started a job at UPS a week prior, and I was working a part-time job. Needless to say, we did not have funds to receive adequate care. One hospital said they couldn't help us because it was too severe for them to handle. The trauma hospital was releasing us because we didn't have the funds to pay for additional services he needed."
The Jones family called a Shriners Hospital for Children in Texas, which transferred him into its care.
Seven months and four hospital visits later, Danny lives in Keller with his mom, his dad Danny Jr. and big sister Nichole. He is an active little boy who loves to run and jump.
"Once we arrived at Shriners, they provided us with everything we needed. They gave us clothes, diapers, money for food and toys for Danny," Nathalie said. "Three weeks after his initial burn, the nurses had loved on him so much that he began to walk and talk again. His eyes opened, and our baby was somewhat back to himself."
That's the idea, says Robert Lee, a member of the Moslah Shrine board of directors and Assistant Rabban in the unit. The major responsibility of that leadership position is to coordinate all events concerned with raising funds for our Shrine Hospitals for Children.
"This makes all the work so rewarding," Lee said. "There's no better place anywhere in the world to treat burn patients than the hospital we have in Galveston. We have 35 to 45 patients that live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that we transport regularly to either the Galveston or Shreveport Hospital."
"Our family is so happy and proud today with the manner in which the Shriners cared for our son," Nathalie said. "Prior to coming to the hospital, we were somewhat embarrassed about the accident. His face was scarred very badly, and many people looked at us as though we had caused him harm.
"Through their services, they showed us how to provide physical therapy and suggested lotions and oils for his skin. He looks absolutely amazing today. The Shriners have given us a second chance to enjoy our lives without apprehension about the accident," she said.
The first Shrine Temple in the United States was organized on Sept. 26, 1872, in the New York City Masonic Hall. Thirteen Masons were named charter members of Mecca Temple, and the Shrine was born. The organization is now known as Shriners International, with Shrine Centers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and the Republic of Panama.
Moslah Shrine supports its philanthropy, Shriners Hospitals for Children, with several fundraisers such as an annual gala, a golf tournament and the Street Corner Collection Day, which is spearheaded each year by the Assistant Rabban. The hospitals are orthopedic and burn treatment centers.
FYI
Moslah Shrine
The Shriner's Creed says "care for the less fortunate, especially children who suffer from burns and crippling disease, is our institutional calling."
1100 Henderson St.
Fort Worth, Texas 76102-4583
817.335.9469
