Sitting around a campfire with your friends and family is a scene that everyone enjoys. Korryn Bachner, 15 was doing just that on evening in April. Just hanging out until one of her friends thought it would be fun to pour gasoline on the campfire.
The explosion caused 12 people extreme injuries, including Korryn who suffered from third degree burns on her face and hands. Leading up to the campfire the friends were making plans to go to their high school prom.
Korryn spent two weeks in hospital fighting for her life. She will need to undergo more surgical procedures in the future.
Korryn is a cheerleader and had many friends at her school, Glendale East High School. But now with her head completely wrapped in bandages, Korryn assumed that she would not be asked to the prom this year.
Jonathan Ayala, was a friend that Korryn had attended a prom with weeks earlier. He had a different idea in mind. He wanted to bring her some joy during her heartbreaking recovery.
“He told me in the hospital that he was determined to bring prom to her, even if it was in the hospital,” Korryn’s mom, Ellen, recalls of Ayala. “Then when we came home, he asked if he could decorate the basement.”
Ayala decorated the basement and friends stopped over before going to the actual prom.
“She has such a great group of friends. There were definitely some tears, but they were happy tears,” Ellen recalls of the event. “[Ayala] missed his senior prom for her. She has the opportunity to still attend two more, but I don’t know that another prom will ever be as special as this one was.”
“She was just happy. I’m sure there was a smile underneath her bandages and a few happy tears. It made my heart happy,” Korryn’s mom, Ellen, says.
The young mans act of kindness has been a source of encouragement for Korryn who has a long way to a full recovery.
No charges have been filed in the fire, as police said they believe the incident was an accident with no malicious intent, though the investigation is ongoing. The boy who caused the fire was also badly injured, Ellen says.
The girls recovery is slow but Mom says “it’s going in the the right direction, every day we see improvement.”