A woman says she looks like a "snack" after enduring a seven-month burns recovery when a firepit turned into a 'flamethrower'. Reality TV producer Renae Gornick was sat around a firepit with friends when one accidentally added fuel to the fire. It caused the flames to be sent towards her and Renae, 30, suffered severe burns to her face, legs arms, and wrists. She was taken to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center burn unit where about 25 nurses and doctors surrounded her. Luckily, she hadn't inhaled smoke, otherwise, she would have probably died, doctors said. She was placed in an intensive care unit until they assessed that her burns were second-degree and that she would heal without needing skin grafts. Seven months later, Renae has been recovering well and recently described herself in a social media update as "looking like a snack". The incident is said to have been propelled by the alcohol-based fuel bottle - that was nearly empty and giving off vapours - was squeezed towards the already-lit fire pit. "When he opened up the jug, it was like a flamethrower, or a blow torch and it shot right at me. "I'm not sure how long the blast lasted, but it had to be a few seconds of straight fire blasting towards me. "Behind my physical body, I have a wooden planter and string lights, the wooden planter is entirely charred, and my plastic string lights are entirely melted... and that was BEHIND my body. "I must have reacted instinctively and shut my eyes, because other than my eyelashes and brows being singed off, my eyes were dry but okay. "I remember using my hands that were already burnt to pat the fire out on my face. "I just kept smacking my face, then, I felt my hair and scalp burning. "I used my hands and started hitting my head to pat out the flames." Renae had to use her hands to pat her trousers, but the flames burned through the material affecting the flesh on her legs and knees. "I remember the feeling quite well, when I put myself back in the moment, it's visceral. I can still smell the chemicals. "It felt like my head was dunked in a bucket of water, but instead of water, it was fire, I had that feeling of drowning. "When the flames were out, I was in shock. I remember holding up my hands, and the skin on my hands looked like drapes. "My burnt hair was wrapped and stuck around my peeling skin and raw flesh on my fingers and palms and wrists. "I just said, 'am I burned?' I'll never forget the terror in their eyes." The recovery process began and initially, she described it as brutal and torturous. "The first few weeks of recovery were brutal, and some of the worst pain I ever experienced. "After a few days in the ICU, I was told I could go home if I had care as I needed someone to do everything for me, bathe me, wipe me, change me, I couldn't use my hands." Fortunately, her sister flew across the country from the east coast to be with and take care of her. "I decided to rest at home for a few days before going back for an appointment where they said I'd get my 'bandages changed' but this really meant debridement, which is what I describe as "skin scrub." "I was wrapped in bandages up to my elbows, also my knees and thighs were wrapped, but my face was exposed. "All I was told to put on my face was this antibiotic cream, which would crust and harden and needed to be soaked off and then reapplied. Total torture. "It's like you're just continuously picking at a scab, but the scab is your entire face. "My skin was so tight, I could hardly open my mouth, but I had to otherwise it'd heal that way, so I would stretch open my mouth through tears. "I had to do finger, hand and wrist exercises too, which were very painful." Renae's recovery continued and she was able to move back to Easton, Pennsylvania where her parents live. On top of the physical wounds, Renae was also left with mental trauma from the event. "I anticipated going back and falling back into life, and I just felt so anxious about all of that but couldn't pinpoint why. "After talking to my best friend, and my sister, I realized I had really been in survival mode for the last three months. "I hadn't really understood or taken any time to acknowledge that I just went through something f***ing traumatic. "I broke down for the first time, not from pain, but because I just experienced something really s***ty that I'd carry with me." During the recovery, Renae was worried about scarring especially on her face. "I was so scared I'd have scars on my face, as vain as that is. I think it's natural to be worried about it, though. "The doctors and nurses kept telling me 'this is just like a really intense chemical peel! People pay for this! People will be jealous!' and I remember thinking how messed up I thought that was that they were telling me that, considering how I looked. "But I trusted them, and I held onto those words like a crutch and just hoped for the best. "To this day seven months later, I have very webbe
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