Major events in life can change people in ways they never knew possible and in this case, it was a severe kerosene-ignited burn to shift her perspective on everything.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mother of three, Orange's Christine Ghrayche grew up and attended school in the colour city, later launching her own small interior design business to run for a decade.
Though the 35-year-old says she threw the industry to the wind following an at-home kerosene explosion in July of 2021.
Engulfing her clothing in flames, the incident left 50 per cent of her right leg with severe hypertrophic burn scars.
"I'd used kerosene in the past to light the fireplace and I'd poured some of [the flammable liquid] into a glass to get it going more," Ms Ghrayche said.
"Unfortunately, the amount I poured was too much and as I threw it, the kerosene became like a stream of flames that came back and it instantly set me on fire.
"I was screaming getting my dressing gown off that was up in flames, but I was wearing cheap polyester tights at the time and the damage was already done.
"I ended up in my en suite bathroom under cold water in the shower, it was awful. It's one of the most terrifying and painful things I've ever experienced."
Living in Ploughmans Lane at the time, Ms Ghrayche says she sent her eldest child to their neighbours to call for help.
It was awful. It's one of the most terrifying and painful things I've ever experienced.
- Orange's Christine Ghrayche on burn incident.
Emergency services - to include NSW Ambulance, police and firefighters - responded to the incident before paramedics transported her to Orange Health Service.
After 24-hours at the hospital with intermittent procedures scraping back dead skin, Ms Ghrayche was transported via AirMed to Royal North Shore Hospital in St Leonards in Sydney.
Admitted to the burns unit, she received surgery and skin grafts during an 11-day stay.
"They took skin from my inner right thigh, the same leg I had the burns, and put about a third of the entire skin to graft it all together again," she said.
"The burn itself takes up about 50 per cent of my leg, from the majority of my thigh and down into the calf area, and I was in a wheelchair for about a week.
"I've given birth to three kids, but the treatment and pain was unimaginable. I'd sit up in my hospital bed and the moment my blood started flowing to my legs is when the pain would hit and it was excruciating."
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, thermal causes of injury led to 5500 hospitalisations in 2021 to 2022.
Of this number, 119 people died as a result of burns and other fire-related injuries.
Along with intensive physical therapy exercises, Ms Ghrayche says she regularly attended Orange's hospital as an outpatient for ongoing injury management.
Despite treatment for multiple dressing changes, additional scraping and general health monitoring, the incident (and recovery anguish) is something the burns survivor says she wouldn't change.
"I wouldn't take back this experience, because it saved me," she said.
"I had no balance between home and work, and I loved creating new spaces with interior designing and making a room beautiful, but I just want to do it for me now.
"And I used to be self-conscious, but I'm just not anymore. I've really just embraced all of me."
Signing up with Floral Art School of Australia this year, Ms Ghrayche is studying to become a florist, with hopes to one day open up her own shop and launch a brand new business.
For now, the name she's chosen for it is "Christine Becomes a Florist".
She says the similarities between interior design and floristry tap into her "creative brain" and allows her artistic energy to run free.
"It feels like a natural progression in the sense where you're still putting different pieces together to create something beautiful and it still feels really satisfying," she said.
"Because it's not the whole picture you're creating at once, you're putting it together in little pieces to get to that bigger picture in the process, and it's exciting to see your creation come to life at the end."
A memo to anyone going through their own struggles with image, trauma, or starting again, Ms Ghrayche says there is freedom in acceptance.
"I don't regret the choices I've made or the things I've been through, whether they've been in my control or not, because it's changed my perspective about myself," she said.
"My parting message would be to own who you are and don't pander to other peoples' bullshit because if you're 'too much' for someone, they can go and find less.
"It took me a little while to get to that space, but now I just do me; and it's the best thing that could've happened."
Emily Gobourg
Em Gobourg is a Cabonne-based journo with the CWD. Outside of people and business yarns, she's usually wearing Tradie boots or found on a rugby paddock. Want to get in touch? Flick an email to emily.gobourg@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Em Gobourg is a Cabonne-based journo with the CWD. Outside of people and business yarns, she's usually wearing Tradie boots or found on a rugby paddock. Want to get in touch? Flick an email to emily.gobourg@austcommunitymedia.com.au
