At just six months, Tatyana Shakhray had an accident which changed her life.
Born in the Ukraine, the 18-year-old's life changed forever when, one day in winter, her parents were doing some yard work when she and her sister were left alone on a traditional clay bed.
A wood-burning stove close to the end of the bed kept it warm. When Tatyana woke suddenly, she fell over the edge, landing face down on top of the scorching stove. She sustained third degree burns.
Hearing her screams, her parents rushed to see what had happened. When her mum saw Tatyana, she fell to the floor unconscious.
With the nearest hospital three hours from their small, poor town, Tatyana's parents rushed her to the village nurse, but she knew little about burns, so her parents were left to their own devices.
They applied oils to the charred black skin, unknowingly making the problem worse. In the end, the family moved to the States to get her the specialist treatment she needed.
"After spending many months in the hospital, doctors kept telling my parents that I wouldn't make it through the night but my mother refused to let them give up on me," Tatyana told Metro. "I was a little fighter and kept exceeding everyone's expectations."
Even now, the Oregon-based teen continues to surprise with her accomplishments. The brave girl has just started training to become a firefighter.
It was no mean feat though. Despite having over 100 surgerires to treat her burns, she's endured many stares and hurtful remarks because of her appearance.
"Most people I see in public stare, point and whisper about me to their friends," she said. "It's surprising how blatant people can be sometimes. The most common phrases I hear are 'look at that girl's face' or 'what was that thing?'"
While she doesn't mind if people ask her what happened out of curiosity, she has no time for nastiness.
"If they ask in an obnoxious way, I will sarcastically reply that I got them from saving a basket full of kittens from a burning building."
There have even been moments when she has argued with people, and they have hit back with 'no wonder your face is like that' -leaving her in tears.
Fortunately, Tatyana has found a wonderful boyfriend in the shape of Mason Philips, who only sees the beauty behind the scars.
"Three months ago, I met the most wonderful guy and he's completely changed my life," she said. "It's the first time I've ever really felt myself around someone and he tells me I'm beautiful every day."
"It feels like we've known each other our whole lives. Mason's definitely had a huge impact on my life and I can't thank him enough for being so supportive."
Tatyana hopes to eventually come up with new techniques to fight fires and help other survivors.
She currently attends a Fire and Ice Camp put on by the Portland Fire Department which, every year, aims to build the confidence and self-esteem of burn survivors.
This is also where she first become inspired to become a firefighter.
"Working with these amazing people helped me realise that I wanted to make a difference," Tatyana said. "I wanted to help others overcome what I have. Growing up with these scars has made me stronger and more resilient to petty things. Every look and comment has just made me realise people will always need something to gossip about and that’s a part of life."
She hopes to encourage other survivors to focus on loving themselves too:
"There are many people out there who don’t know how to react when they see something different," she said. "But everyone’s different and we just need to embrace each other and the way we are, no matter what our physical differences are."
What a remarkable girl, and so positive too. She's an inspiration to us all!
