Born To Run (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: The Burn Pit

Brittany Young is a unique sixteen-year-old girl growing up on the island of Maui. This beautiful island is one of the eight that make up Hawaii. It's small enough to drive around in less than a day. Maui has more than 100,000 residents and Brittany considers herself lucky to be one of them.

This lively teenager enjoys all that Maui has to offer. She loves to surf, snorkel, paddle, and barbeque at the beach. She also loves Maui's world-famous sunsets. Brittany's college plans will likely take her to mainland America. Still, the spirit of the islands will always be with her.

When you meet Brittany, the first thing you see is a cheerful, easy smile. Her life seems carefree, but she has actually been through some tough times. When Brittany was only seven, her life changed forever . . .

The date was May 24, 1997. It seemed like a normal spring day. Seven-year-old Brittany was returning from a birthday party. The Young family car turned the corner onto Cooke Road. Once there, Brittany, and her brother Jake made their usual request. They wanted to walk the rest of the way home. The Young's lived on a mile-long dusty road. The road was dotted with houses, each hidden behind eucalyptus trees.

Mrs. Young pulled over, and Jake jumped out of the car. Brittany was right behind him. Jake was nine, eighteen months older than his sister. The two seemed attached at the hip.

Mrs. Young called out to Brittany. She reminded her daughter to put her shoes on.

"Jake doesn't have shoes on," Brittany argued.

Before Mrs. Young could reply, her two children were off and running. The two of them soon passed an old protea farm. In its day, this farm was beautiful. Protea are one of the world's most unusual flowers. They grow especially well in the Kula area of Upcountry Maui. Kula, where Brittany lived, sits on the side of Haleakala, which is a volcano.

Jake and Brittany stopped when they reached the old farm. The owner had let most of the flowers die off a while ago. He didn't take care of his land. In fact, a grand old eucalyptus tree used to live on his property. The tree towered over the road. It had been removed a few years earlier, but the giant stump had remained. The owner did not want to pay to have the stump taken out. Instead, he decided to burn it, turning it into a dangerous fire pit.

The stump eventually sank to the earth. When it did, it left behind a crater fourteen feet wide and five feet deep. Jake stared at the hole where the stump had once sat. He moved closer to the crater with Brittany close behind. When they got to the edge, they looked in. They had watched the tree shrink in size for many months. They never really believed it would be gone. But it was.

In the past, they had seen open flames in the stump. The fire had scared them off. Today, the white ash looked like a blanket of snow covering the hole. Jake poked his stick into the circle. The fire appeared to be gone. There was something that they didn't understand, though. Although there were no flames, the coals were still hot beneath the white cover.

Jake and Brittany circled the crater, poking their sticks into the ash. Brittany reminded Jake that they were supposed to go home. Jake told her that they'd go in a minute. Then he stepped onto the inside ledge that lined the pit. It was like taking the first step into a pool. Brittany followed him. Jake made it to the other side of the crater first. Because he had, Brittany was sure that the ground was solid everywhere. But it wasn't.

Brittany put her left foot down onto the ledge. Then, she began to sink. At first she didn't realize what was going on. It happened so quickly. Before she knew it, she had sunk up to her knees. It was then that Brittany began to feel intense heat beneath her feet. There was also a bitter acid taste in her mouth. A moment of stunned silence followed. The birds even seemed to hold their breath. That silence was soon shattered by an endless scream.

Brittany's legs were covered in hot coals. The temperature was around 1200 degrees, quickly destroying Brittany's thin legs. Somehow, she managed to escape. Unable to use her legs, Brittany pushed herself out of the hole with her arms. At this point, she wasn't fully aware of what she was doing. All she could think about was getting home. She could feel her shins burning. Her feet were burning, too.

Then, something amazing happened. She ignored her burning legs--legs that shouldn't have been able to move. (In fact, it would be months before she would even be able to walk again.) Defying logic and science, she ran. She shot up from the burning hole in the ground and sprinted up the road. Skin fell from her legs with every step she took. A person burned this badly, should not have been able to move, let alone run.

Brittany will always remember seeing her "transparent toenails floating in blood." She'll never forget the black rings that had formed beneath her knees. These were the scariest moments of her life.

When she got home, Brittany's feet had swollen to four times their normal size. Her legs didn't even look like legs. Somehow, though, she had made it home. There is no scientific way to explain how she did it.

Brittany's father was outside mowing the lawn. He was stopped cold by his daughter's screams. He turned off the mower and ran toward her. Seeing the damage, he lifted her and hurried toward the house.

When Mrs. Young got to the door, she saw her husband running toward her. Brittany was dangling from his arms. Mrs. Young fought back tears. Then she quickly placed Brittany in the back seat of the car. She alertly remembered her first aid training as she did so. She knew that she had to cool the burns. So she ran towels under cold water and wrapped each of Brittany's legs. This needed to be done, even though it hurt.

In most places, the first thing to do would be to call 911. But the Young home was located on Haleakala. This meant that it was very difficult to get to. It would take a long time for an ambulance to make the trip. They decided to drive the thirty minutes down the mountain and to the hospital.

Brittany sat with her towel-wrapped feet in a cooler of ice. Mr. Young drove. He was trying to go fast, but had to dodge bumps and potholes at the same time. The drive down the mountain, which was usually peaceful, seemed like a nightmare.

When Brittany arrived at Maui Memorial Hospital she was treated immediately. The doctor on call, however, was not experienced with burns. He didn't know how serious Brittany's injuries were. It took the help of a special nurse to recognize Brittany's need for more extensive care. The nurse also gave Brittany a teddy bear. Brittany named him Boo Boo and has him to this day.

After just a few minutes, the medical team decided to have Brittany flown to Honolulu. This is the largest city on the island of Oahu. Honolulu has several hospitals--including a burn center. Without proper care, Brittany's legs might not heal properly. The doctors quickly wheeled her stretcher onto a two-prop plane. They knew that they had to hurry. Every minute would help save Brittany's legs, giving her the chance to walk again.

Besides Brittany and the paramedics, only one person could fit into the plane. This was devastating. Neither parent wanted to leave Brittany's side. Mrs. Young ended up going with Brittany on the twenty-five minute trip to Oahu. The flight seemed to take about ten times that long.

As the plane soared above the clouds, Brittany lay on the stretcher. She was in great pain. The noisy plane was so loud that she could barely talk. Mrs. Young stared out the window. She was very upset, but tried not to panic. Her thoughts were interrupted when the pilot announced that they were five minutes from landing. Mrs. Young looked at her daughter and forced a smile. Brittany squeezed her hand and smiled back. She was being strong and brave, but the worst was far from over.