Terry McCarty was just six years old when a childhood accident left him with third-degree burns covering 70% of his body. He spent two months in a coma, a full year in the hospital, and endured 58 surgeries.
As he grew older, McCarty faced relentless bullying and struggled to find work, often being told he was a liability, a belief he admits he began to internalize.
Determined to prove otherwise, McCarty made a spur-of-the-moment decision to become a firefighter in Bellingham, Washington. He completed 12 weeks of grueling training, confronting fire again for the first time since his accident.
“In the end, I started to realize the fire didn’t control me,” he said, explaining that fear no longer deserved power over his life.
After two years on the force, McCarty shifted his mission to supporting others like him. He now works with the Burned Children Recovery Foundation at Camp Phoenix, an annual summer camp that provides counseling, peer support, and financial assistance to young burn survivors and their families.
Today, McCarty also speaks to firefighter groups and helps connect first responders with burn survivors. “Fire robbed me of my childhood,” he said. “I wanted to give these children a chance to experience being a kid.”
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