House Heroes: The Fighter

A fighting spirit and unshakable confidence were the key to recovery for this young burns survivor, as seen on House of Wellness TV.

In 2011, at the age of three, Natasha (‘Tash’) had a terrible accident in the kitchen.

“Tash was a few months shy of her fourth birthday,” recalls her mother, Zoi. “She was helping her grandmother cook, as she’s always loved to do and she leaned a little bit too close to the flame and caught alight.”

Tash sustained third degree burns to 60 per cent of her body.

“I do think I’m brave because of all the things I’ve been through,” says Tash. “But then I also think that at times I’m not brave and I can be afraid. But you have to remember that no matter what you’ll be OK.”

To help cope with the pain of physiotherapy, Tash took up dancing.

“I love dancing and hanging out with my friends,” she says. “I find that socialising with other people makes me forget about all the things I’m worried about and I can just focus on having fun.”

Dancing has helped Tash’s physical recovery, as well as building her self-confidence.

“I feel like saying things and doing things in front of people can show them who you are and what you’re made of. All the things you can do as a person,” she says.

The KIDS Foundation also played an important role in helping Tash and her family rebuild their lives.

“We went to our first camp and it was very confronting, very challenging,” recalls Zoi. “I cried for the first two days meeting other parents and listening to their stories, hearing the heartache, and knowing that heartache.”

The KIDS Foundation is a leading injury prevention and injury recovery not-for-profit that reaches more than 30,000 children per year. The foundation aims to teach children how to be safe, while creating a better life for those living with serious injury and burns.

And now Tash is a junior ambassador for the KIDS Foundation, helping share her own special message.

“No matter what happens, you can do whatever you want,” she says. “You just have to have confidence and put your mind to it and you can really do anything, no matter what.”

To learn more about the Kids Foundation and their work in injury prevention and recovery, head to their website, or to help Tash achieve her dream of dancing in Disneyland, head here.