Support CJ Davis's Burn Recovery Journey

Update 1/26/2025 14:35

Day 3…

CJ is SPICY today. He slept well last night. They did do a second dressing change last night before bed on his face. He was still very tired this morning and, again, more swollen in the morning. Around 10:30AM they did his hands and face dressing and gave him a shower. They are leaving more and more of his face open each time it seems like, and he is looking more like himself each time as well.

I was able to talk with the surgical resident this morning after his dressing and get some more details about surgery… They will be going in and taking off most of the tissue on the back of his left hand and up his fingers, as this tissue is necrotic (dead) all the way down to the muscles. If the wound bed is healthy enough, they will graft it; however, that is typically not likely. The graft will most likely be done later, so “fake skin” will most likely be applied in the interim to deter infection and allow the wound bed to heal enough for the actual graft. The graft will come from his thigh. She said the pain will be controlled with more pain meds, but his pain shouldn’t increase a lot more. His biggest complaint will probably be the site where the graft was taken from. Surgery will be later in the morning or early afternoon on Tuesday.

Today we ate lunch. He was comfortable hanging out in a hospital gown today instead of real clothes. I picked his boogers for him, per his request… yes, so fun. Of course, I “didn’t do it right,” and “moved too fast like the rest of the yahoo doctors around here,” but said he felt much better after the event. He wants to go back to work, of course. Very annoyed of “being told what to do all the time.” He also told me this morning after looking out the window that he was going to leave… he says, “I’ll just walk out that way, and doo, doo, doo down the steps, out, gone!” So, yeah… Spicy and engineering an escape plan today—Nothing we wouldn’t expect from him!

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Update 1/25/2025 15:49p.m From Ali:

Day TWO-

CJ was very swollen and dry this morning. He got his morning dressing and shower done. We were able to get him some personal things and better snacks into his room. He was happy to get dressed in real clothes. The swelling is still worse than yesterday, but better than this morning. Occupational Therapy was in this afternoon, and he has exercises he needs to do throughout the day to maintain dexterity in his hands. A dietician was also in today, stressing that a low-sodium diet is important for swelling, and high protein/calories is important for healing. We all know how much CJ loves being told what to do!

They are talking about potentially changing his dressings to twice a day, versus just one. He will also be having surgery #1 on Tuesday. This surgery will be a debridement, and potentially a skin graft on his hands. The skin graft will happen if the tissue is ready for that— the tissue may need some time to heal after the debridement prior to grafting. The hospital time is now looking more like a couple weeks or more.

His pain is being controlled very well with scheduled Tylenol and Gabapentin, and stronger pain medication and a sedative during dressing changes. This is great, because he is much more alert throughout the day without being in great amounts of pain.

He’s spent a good part of the afternoon napping. He is considering taking a walk with me (Ali) around the unit after he wakes up. We appreciate everyone’s help in every way—keep the good vibes coming!

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Update 1/24/2025 7:01 p.m

Not a lot of update, but CJ is settled in at the burn unit at Regions in St. Paul. His burns were dressed, and are exclusively on his hands and face. A mixture of 2nd and 3rd degree; although, the severity will fluctuate and change over the next few days. Skin grafting on his hands is not ruled out yet. The next few days will reveal more and give us a better picture of what’s to come.

CJ is his normal, hungry self and surprisingly says pain is minimal.

We don’t know a lot yet, but he will be here for a week at minimum.

Hello;

I am Brittany Davis, the sister in law to Charles “CJ” Davis! This morning he was involved in an accident, I will share the direct information from his employment!

“Early this morning, our team experienced an accident that has deeply shaken all of us here at LOTW Sleepers. Our ice guide, CJ Davis, was entering a cabin on shore, and when he opened the door, it unexpectedly blew up. CJ sustained burns on his hands and face and has been flown to Regions Hospital Burn Unit for treatment.

At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with CJ and his family. CJ is more than just a team member—he's family to us, and we are all feeling the weight of this incident.

Operations will continue to move forward, but we want to be transparent with our customers and friends. We may seem a little less chipper in the coming days as we await updates on CJ's recovery.

This post is meant to curb any rumors and provide clarity. Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult time. ❤️

Please keep CJ in your thoughts and prayers. We’ll share updates as we learn more.”

We don’t know what his road to recovery will look like, if you are able to help him, our family truly appreciates it or just a simply prayer!

I will update as we have more information!