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Raiche's Story

I'm Raiche Mederick, I survived 70% burns from a house fire at the age of 18-months

I was rushed to the St. Andrews Specialist Burns Unit in Essex for round the clock care for months on end, linked to life support, wires & tubes. Surrounded by the best healthcare professionals and closest family.

I used a wheelchair for legs, wore bandages as body armour, then came the wet suits we call pressure garments, the frequent itch and the soothing creams. Recovery is a hard process with the aftercare commitments, as it takes time, patience and the hospital begins to feel like your second home.

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I now have visible scars on my face and body, a few finger tips and toes amputated, with loss of balance, hair, sensation and grip. This created some limitations and I had to adapt to different ways of doing things.

As a child with burns you know you look different, but you don’t quite understand the impact you have on others. My upbringing was really supportive and encouraging, which was vital to my recovery. It also made me realise that I can be just like everyone else with a twist and make a better life for myself.

At 27, I still am affected by my burns and need surgery as my burns don’t grow with me they just get tighter and restrict my movement. Despite the odds being stacked against me, I am now a grants officer in London, I am a homeowner, a fiancee, a dog mum, adventurer and advocate for burns awareness.

My scars are my world, they have brought me so many opportunities to flourish, but also gave me many challenges to overcome, especially as a young black female.

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As Ambassadors, we know best what it’s like to lose our identity and by just existing can be the difference from someone’s future being hopeless to hopeful. The Scar Free Foundation is helping us better understand how our skin heals, improving scar treatments and hopefully giving future trauma patience back something even more valuable, time.


Behind every scar, there’s a story. Visit our ambassadors: