A SCHOOLBOY who suffered agonising 20 per cent burns in an horrific accident is thrilled to be spending Christmas at home.
Nine-year-old Dillon Cawley, of Corporation Street, Accrington, was treated at Manchester's Booth Hall Children's Hospital burns unit after the accident and has to wear a skintight body suit for the next two years.
Dillon was set alight in October when a toy car covered in petrol was kicked towards him and his clothes went up in flames.
Dillon's mum, Helen, 37, said the accident turned their lives upside down.
Helen who gave birth to her eighth child, Candice, the day Dillon was burned, said: "We have all had to travel to Manchester everyday to see him and now he's home he needs a lot of care and attention. He has to wear his burn suit, which covers his upper body, arms and legs, and needs special cream applying to skin under the suit three times a day.
"He has to visit the hospital twice a week and also needs to exercise three times a day, twisting his upper body and lifting his arms to help the skin heal."
On the night of the horrific accident Dillon was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary before being transferred to Manchester, and has undergone two operations, one of which was an agonising five-hour skin graft taken from his left leg.
He then spent weeks in bandages.
His mum said the incident had affected Dillon badly and he now feared fire. Although he is allowed to swim he refuses to go in the pool as he feels too self-conscious of his burned body.
A former pupil at Hyndburn Park Primary School, Dillon hopes to return in the New Year when a nurse will visit him regularly. Dillon, who wants an electric car for Christmas, said that he was glad to be out of hospital and is looking forward to Christmas dinner with his family.
Speaking back in October, Dillon's dad Martin, 37, said: "As parents we cannot describe how we feel about the accident.
"We would urge children to be more careful and adults not to sell petrol to under-age kids."
But Helen said despite what happened to Dillon she still sees children playing in the street with petrol and is furious that the message hasn't got across to adults selling the potentially dangerous fuel.
