Happy New Year! We’ve had a rough start to 2010. About 2 weeks ago I was working in the glass studio finishing up the last of my holiday orders. It was the end of a long work day, at the end of an even longer work week, and somehow I must have gotten distracted. In a moment of sheer brilliance, I reached with my right hand for a tool on my left side. A BIG glassblowing no-no. Oh how I wish I could go back in time and erase what happened next. I stuck my right hand (and yes, I’m a righty!) directly into a 3000+ degree propane/oxygen flame. And so began my unintentional extended “vacation.”

(Warning: getting into more greusome detail here…)
In a split second, the flame burned right through every layer of skin and even did some ligament damage. Fortunately I was working with a very sharp flame at the time, so while the temperature of it was extreme, the damage is mostly on one finger. Unfortunately, it happens to be right on the knuckle and the doctors are concerned that I may not get back full use of this finger. So now, on top of missing weeks of work and paying ER bills, I also have to see a plastic surgeon who is helping me with physical therapy to regain mobility, and to eliminate permanent scarring as much as possible. (And for the morbidly curious, lol, here is a photo of the burn 2 weeks into the healing process: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/brianholz/dec2009154.jpg … I wish I had taken some pix right after it happened!)

I am optimistic about my healing and hope to be back in the studio creating again by the end of the month. I feel so very blessed to be able to do what I love for a living, but having no worker’s comp or health insurance is a definite drawback.
But here’s to more health, happiness, peace, & prosperity in 2010!