These triplets went through some hard times early on in life.
Jordan, Chandra, and Tray Berns were just 17 months old when they lost their mother in 1988. As if that weren’t enough, they lost their mother to a house fire.
They survived after their father broke a window to save them. They were immediately taken to a hospital. All of them survived, but not without a price.
They all suffered third-degree burns, on up to 30 percent of their bodies.
Despite years of physical therapy and surgery, they bore scars from their burns that made them feel compelled to hide their bodies until well into adulthood.
They were made fun of and bullied for their scars, and the ridicule left them insecure about their burn marks.
Not only that, but the large amounts of scar tissue made it difficult for one of the sisters to move her arm.
But a few years ago, Trae found a dermatologist who specialized in acne scars. But the doctor had used her acne treatment on burn victims, to great effect. Seeing an opportunity, she contacted Dr. Jill Waibel.
Feeling sympathy for their plight, Dr. Waibel gave them procedures for free. She treated the scars with laser treatment, meant to regrow skin in the areas where it had been scarred. To treat the scars on the sisters’ face, arms, and chest, each procedure took eight hours. They’re awake during the procedure, and afterward, a healing process similar to a sunburn takes place. And several treatments later, they're happy with the results.
Now, the sisters have smoother skin, and more confidence. Now, they’re empowering other burn victims to seek this kind of treatment. They finally feel confident enough to go out in whatever they want, and they want everyone else to feel that way, too.
