A BABY girl was left temporarily blind with severe burns after a birthday party with friends and family.
Little Alayla Janjua had just turned one when she knocked a scalding hot mug of coffee onto her face on August 16, 2023.
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Hearing her daughter’s screams, mum Simona Belcheva raced to her side and immediately put the youngster under a cold shower.
The 23-year-old then took Alayla to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Bedfordshire, before she was rushed to the burns unit at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex.
There, doctors shaved the tot’s head to treat her seven per cent mixed-depth scald burns.
Alayla was “wrapped up in bandages like a Teletubby” and remained on the ward for a week before finally being allowed home.
Now, six months on, she has fully recovered, but her parents want to warn others that not everyone will be so lucky.
Simona, an operations manager from Luton, said: “I never thought this would happen to us and a cup of coffee could do so much damage.
“The feeling of not being able to see your baby’s eyes, which you created, and your baby not being able to see you, is the worst feeling that I’ve ever felt, which is why I want to spread awareness and prevent this from happening to other babies and toddlers.
“No parent or toddler should ever have to go through this.
“Even if I can just change one or two people’s lives, that is all that matters.”
Simona and her partner Danyal Janjua, 22, a full-time biomedical student, hosted a party to celebrate their little girl’s first birthday.
But just 12 hours later, “tragedy struck” in the kitchen.
“Amid my routine of preparing morning coffee and allowing Alayla’s porridge to cool, disaster unfolded,” Simona said.
“Within a mere four seconds, [I heard] a loud crash and her cries reached my ears.
“Turning around, I found Alayla on the floor, my spilled coffee surrounding her.
“She had managed to somehow knock over the mug and it went on her face.”
The mum whipped off the girl’s pyjamas and plunged her into the shower to ease her pain.
Five minutes later, they were on the way to A&E.
“Despite the brief seven-minute drive, it felt like an eternity,” Simona said.
Medics quickly realised she needed urgent attention and the family spent a further two hours travelling to a specialist centre, where Alayla’s body was dressed and covered.
“We were just celebrating her birthday and then she was looking like a Teletubby – it was shocking to see her like that,” Simona said.
Nothing could have prepared me for the day my baby lost her eyesight
Simona Belcheva
She added that it was the “worst feeling” that she couldn’t help the youngster while doctors redressed the bandages every three days.
“She’d be screaming when they did that,” Simona said.
“It was the worst feeling – I couldn’t help her.
“It got so swollen at one point she couldn’t open her eyes.
“Nothing could have prepared me for the day my baby lost her eyesight.
“She couldn’t see for two days, and during that time, I couldn’t stop thinking about what she must be thinking.
“What did she think was going on?”
Despite the pain, Alayla was “always smiling” – but Simona found it hard to mirror her positivity.
‘The worst feeling’
“People have said I’m a bad mum and that I burnt her, but I don’t allow it to affect me anymore,” she said.
Simona and Danyal have since childproofed their home and started an awareness campaign on social media.
After highlighting their ordeal with infant burns, they now have more than 42,000 followers on TikTok (@alaylaslife).
Sue Boasman, an advanced nurse practitioner at the St Andrew’s Burns Service, was among those who cared for Alayla.
She shared some tips for parents for treating burns and keeping their children safe.
“If your child suffers a burn, immediately place the affected area under cool running water for at least 20 minutes,” she said.
“Then cover the area with cling film, if possible, and seek assistance if necessary.
“Avoid using ice or very cold water, as it can make the burn deeper and make the patient very cold.”
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How to treat burns and keep kids safe
Cool, cover and call
If your child suffers a burn, immediately place the affected area under cool running water for at least 20 minutes.
Then cover the area with cling film, if possible, and seek assistance if necessary.
Avoid using ice or very cold water, as it can make the burn deeper and make the patient very cold.
Clothing
Many parents wonder whether to remove their child’s clothing after a burn. It’s important to remove the clothing as it holds the heat.
Also, remember to check areas such as the nappy area and socks which can also absorb hot fluids.
For minor burns
If the injured area is very small and there’s no skin loss or damage, over-the-counter burn relief creams or aloe vera gel can be applied to act as a cooling agent.
Types of home remedies to avoid
Some parents apply toothpaste, egg white or other home remedies because they think it cools down the burnt area. But this can be quite damaging to the burnt skin.
Assess the size of the burn and action
It is important to assess the size of the burn.
A very quick way to measure a burn is to use the child’s hand. This is equivalent to about one per cent of the total body surface area.
Even a small burn in a child can be serious – so any child with blistering or skin loss should seek medical help.
Childproofing the house
Keeping hot drinks and pans out of children’s reach is very important.
Try to keep children out of the kitchen while cooking.
It is also recommended to keep hair straighteners, hair dryers, and irons way up out of the reach of children because they stay hot for much longer and might cause burns.
Source: Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust