Woman Burned In Gas Explosion As A Kid Now Uses Her True Story To Inspire Others
August 28, 2017

At only 9 years old, Lesia Cartelli was badly burned in a gas explosion at her grandparent's house. In fact, the burns were so severe, her own grandfather didn't recognize her. But now, this brave woman uses her traumatic past to help other burn victims find healing.
The Day Everything Changed
Lesia and her cousin were playing in their grandparent's basement on that terrible day. A gas leak ignited, causing the whole house to blow up. The explosion threw many of the 9 family members in the home across the street.
RELATED: Mom’s Warning After Pumpkin Explosion Disfigures Daughter’s Face
Already a fighter, Lesia pulled herself out of the rubble. Flames still covered her little body so she rolled in the dirt and snow to put them out.
“It was all face, hands, back and parts where I had synthetic on where the blast had burned around my waist,” she says.
Lesia's own grandfather thought she was someone else because of how badly she was burned in a gas explosion. As paramedics loaded her into the ambulance, her grandfather tried to leave. He thought the house debris still held his granddaughter's body. Even though Lesia was right in front of him, he didn't realize it was the same child.
“That’s not her,” he said when paramedics suggested the girl in the ambulance was his granddaughter.
Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the ambulance window helped Lesia understand why her grandfather didn't recognize her. Burns covered 50% of her body and fire burned off all her hair.
Lesia spent several months in the hospital, undergoing surgeries and skin grafts. Once released, Lesia's scars drew stares and questions from people, so she started isolating herself.
"When I was burned, everything in my life changed," she said. "My friendships changed. I hated going to school. You are coping with things you never had to cope with before. People staring at you. People asking questions. Why do you look like that?"
Credit: Lesia Cartelli
Inspirational True Stories - Woman Burned In A Gas Explosion Gives Back
Lesia could have remained withdrawn her whole life. When bad things happen, we can always choose to retreat or to let God give our pain purpose. Lesia chose the latter, realizing she was put on this Earth to do more than just survive.
"My life got better when I started to look at my life as a gift," Lesia said.
RELATED: Bullied Burn Victim Hated Her ‘Crocodile’ Skin For Years, Then Her Daughter Changed Everything
Lesia started Angel Faces, a national nonprofit organization offering week-long supportive retreats for adolescent female burn victims. These retreats, for girls ranging from ages 11-19, provide seminars to help the girls heal emotionally.
"The common denominator among burn survivors is the feeling of being alone — even when they have amazing support at home," says Dana Kuhn, director of programs at the Burn Institute in San Diego. "Once you go to a gathering of survivors, you no longer have that sense of being alone."
Lesia's Angel Faces retreats allow the girls to bond with fellow burn victims, helping them escape the feelings of intense loneliness.
Building Others Up
She got the idea while running a burn camp in San Diego.
Credit: Lesia Cartelli"Three teenage girls walked by me with their heads sinking down," Lesia recalled. "I knew I was failing because on Monday, back in their regular lives, they’d have the same horrible days. I was not giving them what I knew they really needed – to grow spiritually while looking different, learning how to master the social world with confidence, and teaching them how to handle teasing and rejection."
Volunteers and therapists at the Angel Faces retreats help the girls accept their new appearance, working to boost their self-esteem, as well as providing ways they can live a positive life. Those who attend describe it as a life-changing experience. And they point to Lesia as a huge inspiration.
“She’s like a ball of sunshine,” said Casi Smith, a 17-year-old with burns on her face she received as an infant when a hot iron accidentally fell into her bassinet. “She told me that from looking at her, I could see everything she’s been through. But here she is, instead of hiding, she’s helping people. To me, that was amazing. I don’t know if I could ever do that.”
Turning Pain Into Purpose
As a woman burned in a gas explosion, Lesia is able to connect with these young ladies on a personal level, as someone who knows what they're going through. Her heart for helping others motivates fellow burn victims to take control of their circumstances.
Credit: Lesia Cartelli“Lesia always talks about not wasting your pain. She knows that for some, it’s easy to go into depression. But she makes you so excited. When you talk to her, you can’t stop smiling,” says Adriana Ramirez, who accidentally tripped and spilled hot cooking oil on 40% of her body about a year and a half ago.
Each of these women are miracles. They are blessed to have survived horrible accidents most of us can't even imagine. Yet, surviving the incident is just the beginning. Lesia describes the period following the actual event causing the burns as a “trauma cocoon.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Inspirational Life Story Of Woman With Rare Skin Disorder Often Mistaken For Burns
And that's where she steps in.
"I didn’t want any other girl to go through what I had gone through," she says. "We offer a place where the girls can go and lay down their social armor, lay down their swords and begin to really heal."
Lesia is a beautiful testament to how our Lord works. There will always be pain and suffering in this broken world. But for those who turn it all over to God and allow Him to use it, amazing things can happen!
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
h/t: People
Featured Image Credit: ©Thinkstock/JohnCarnemolla
Today's Devotional
A Prayer When You Feel Spiritually Dry - Your Daily Prayer - April 28
If you've ever struggled in a wilderness season of life that turned into a spiritual desert, you can take comfort in the fact that you aren't alone and certainly aren't the first to experience this issue.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer When You Feel Spiritually Dry - Your Daily Prayer - April 28
If you've ever struggled in a wilderness season of life that turned into a spiritual desert, you can take comfort in the fact that you aren't alone and certainly aren't the first to experience this issue.
Past Stories
- WWII Veteran Celebrates His 101st Birthday and 75 Years of Marriage to His Loving Wife
- 88-Year-Old Korean War Veteran and Great-Grandfather Graduates From College
- One Year After Losing Boys in a Fire, Parents Find Light in the Form of a Beautiful Blessing
- They Dress Up As Disney Princesses to Bring Joy and Hope to Sick Children, and it's Amazing
- This Couple Parents Triplets and Foster Sons from Wheelchairs, and It’ll Leave You Inspired
- Two-Year-Old is Found By Rancher's Dog After Walking 7 Miles From Home
- Couple Reunites 15-Year-Old Blind Dog With Owners After Finding Her in the Wilderness
- He Saved Her Life in a Pool Accident Five Years Ago, Now They Are Engaged
- Actress Chrissy Metz Left Hollywood For Nashville and She Couldn't Be Happier
- Stranger Helps 81-Year-Old Waitress Who Couldn't Afford to Retire, Now Her Prayers Have Been Answered
- 49-Year-Old Melanie Barratt Becomes First Blind Woman to Swim the English Channel
- 9-Year-Old Boy Remembered By Teacher and Community After Being Swept Away By Flood Waters
- 16-Year-Old Heard a Family's Cries and Saved Them From a House Fire
- Family Grows From 4 to 8 Overnight After Welcoming Identical Quadruplet Daughters
- Little Girl With Autism Reminds Others of Snow White and Her Connection to Animals
- Candace Cameron Bure Shares Fantastic News That Former Co-star, Dave Coulier, is Cancer-Free
- Soldier is Reunited With the Dog She Served With While Deployed
- Her Grandfather Kept a Log of Every Memory He Had With Her Grandmother, and It's Precious
- This 30-Year-Old Feline Might Just Be the World's Oldest Cat
- Special Messages About Love From Kindergarten Class Displayed at Teacher's Wedding
- A Sneaky Brown Tree Snake Slithers Into An Oven in Australia, and Luckily Doesn't Get Cooked
- Florida Man Meets the Son Who Had Been Searching For Him For Almost 40 Years
- Four-Year-Old Sends Out a Message in a Bottle, Receives Reply Less Than Two Weeks Later
- Delivery Driver Saves Woman's Life After Double Checking When Something Didn't Seem Right
- Woman in Heels Stops Robbery at Convenience Store With Her Impressive Martial Arts Skills
- Man That Survived More Than 90 Days at Sea Thought About His Mother Every Single Day
- Quick Thinking 9-Year-Old Saves Choking Friend During Snack Time Emergency
- Video Store Owner Creates 'Christina's Corner' For a Long-Time Customer
- Texas Man Gets Married in the Hospital After Kidney Transplant
- A Bride to Be and Her Best Friend Have Plane to Themselves and Enjoy Every Minute of it
- Dogs Come to School to Help Comfort Young Students Affected by the Eaton Fire
- Toddler Braves the Dark to Save His Great-Grandma
- All Four of These Best Friends Now Live On the Same Street and It's Amazing
- Woman Finds the Most Precious Message Inside Her Thrift Store Purchase
- Mom is Hit By a Piece of Power Tool On Her Way to Walt Disney World
- Veteran Who Loved Burger King Honored With His Own Chair
- Toddler Using Old Phone Calls 911 For Donuts and Gets a Sweet Surprise
- Hospital Hosts Special Father-Daughter Dance for Young Girl Who Missed the One at Her School
- Carl Thomas Dean, Dolly Parton's Husband of Almost 60 Years, Passes Away at 82
- Woman Donates Her Kidney to Help Save Prom Date From 35 Years Ago
- Couple Thank and Befriend Man Who Saved Their House From a Wildfire
- After 84 Years of Marriage, This Couple Just Broke a Record, and Share Some Great Advice
- Woman Gives Birth On Plane With the Help of a Flight Attendant
- Married For 68 Years, This Husband Does This Simple Sweet Thing For His Wife Every Night
- A Couple in Their 90s Spent 73 Years Apart, Now They Are Engaged
- Woman Reunites With Toddler She Saved From Drowning Back in 1961
- Three Superhero Teens Saved Man on Railroad Tracks After Spotting Him From Their Classroom
- Father and Son Are Able to Survive Night in the Utah Wilderness After Finding a Backpack
- Top Resurrection Sunday Songs You Must Listen To This Year
- Grumpy Grey Seal Takes Over Hotel Room in the Netherlands, To Take a Nap
Top Music Videos

Crowder Crowder's Powerful 'Somebody Prayed' Lyric Video

Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp Lyric Video for Powerful ‘Again’

Colton Dixon 'The Other Side' - Colton Dixon Song For Lost Loved Ones

Brooke Ligertwood Brooke Ligertwood Moving 'Calvary's Enough' Live Performance

GodTube Music Billie Jo Jones | 'How Great Thou Art' (acoustic)
Blog
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.