After recovering from burn injuries, Kane returned to playing baseball for the Tusky Valley Trojans.
It started as a quiet day. Nicole Selinsky sat at the table paying bills, while her sons worked in the yard. Kane, then age 13, poured gas on a brush pile to accelerate the burn. With a whoosh, the pile blew up in his face.
“Kane came running inside the house and said he got burned,” Nicole recalled. “He still had his shirt on, so I didn’t freak out because I didn’t know how bad it was.”
Kane tried a shower to soothe the pain, but within an hour, he started going into shock. “We knew the situation was serious, so we rushed him to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital in Canton,” Nicole said. “They sent a trauma alert to the Akron Children’s ER, and away we went.”
Kane received advanced burn care
The ER staff examined Kane, and he was admitted to the Akron Children’s Adult and Pediatric Burn Institute, supported by The Paul and Carol David Foundation. The burn team determined Kane had second-degree burns on his arms, legs, face and neck – more than 15% of his body. A second-degree burn affects the outer layer of skin called the epidermis and the second layer of skin called the dermis.
Kane had deep second-degree burns on his face, neck, arms and legs.
Kane spent 5 days in the burn unit. He endured multiple painful procedures to scrape off his dead skin. “He wasn’t fully sedated, and they had him in a big bath,” Nicole said. “Then they scraped off his dead skin before the RECELL® surgery.”
Akron Children’s is the only burn center in Ohio that routinely uses RECELL. “The procedure involved taking a piece of skin from Kane’s right arm – about the size of a credit card,” Nicole shared. “They cut up the skin, added a solution to it and sprayed it on the burned areas of Kane’s body.”
Kane’s life today
Kane’s burn accident happened in June 2022; time has helped to heal the trauma of the incident. He gets a slight heat rash when he gets overheated, and he must be extra careful when he’s out in the sun. “Kane is doing great, and his scars are improving,” Nicole said. “He’s an active teenager who plays football and is gearing up for baseball season in the spring. He’s a catcher and also plays second base for Tusky Valley High School.”
Kane’s burn scars have healed well, thanks to the RECELL treatment at Akron Children’s.
When Nicole talks about the accident, she said it feels like it just happened. “But we want to talk about it and let people know about the advanced burn care Akron Children’s offers for patients of all ages,” she said. “We still appreciate everything Akron Children’s did for Kane. It’s a gift.”
Kane was featured in a 2024 blog post you can read here. Listen for an interview with Nicole and Kane Feb. 13-14 during the annual Have a Heart, Do Your Part radiothon to benefit Akron Children’s. Support the radiothon by making a donation.
