SUMTER, S.C. — One Sumter teenager is showing strength and resilience while recovering from a severe accident. 17-year-old Jayden Catoe was burned badly by a backyard fire last October.
Now months later, he’s making progress. In fact, Jayden just landed a job.
"Jayden’s had 53 surgeries since this all started," his mother Candace Durham explained. "And number 54 is scheduled."
This comes after the teenager was badly burned by a backyard fire gone wrong.
"I see it too often," Fire Marshal Robert Rickart shared.
"It is an accident that happens even to adults a lot. Being at the burn center, you see just there people that comes in with the same exact thing," Candace added. "And I guess it just needs to be taught more."
Rickart tells me backyard fires can get out of control when an accelerant like gasoline is added.
"People don’t realize the danger, the fumes, how you could pour it on there. It’s gonna, could explode," he explained. "It can actually chase you, you know, literally…the fumes."
That's what happened to Jayden when he used an old gas can to get the fire started.
"[Jayden got the fire] all set up, put brush on it and found a gas jug in the backyard that didn’t have very much gas in it. Poured the gas on it and flames came back and the gas can explode. Jayden was holding it in his left hand," Candace reflected. "It was hard. You know, as a mother you want to protect and you want to help heal. You can't do anything."
It’s been a long road to recovery, but Jayden tells me he’s felt support from the Sumter community the whole way, starting with a welcome home parade this summer when he got out of the hospital.
"He showed up and he showed out once he got home," Candace smiled. "He knew he had to."
When it came down to it, Jayden said he found the strength to keep fighting because he "just wanted to continue living."
Most recently, the community rallied around him to help him find a job. Starting in February, Jayden will be working at a manufacturing company.
"I like getting my hands dirty," he shared.
Using his hands at work will help him in the future as he works to become a diesel mechanic. He tells me that having a job will help him get more independence, which is something he's looking forward to.
"That was really a goal of his, and I’m proud to see that that’s happening for him," Rickart smiled.
In the meantime, Candace says the estimated cost of the additional surgeries Jayden needs totals about $30 million before insurance. To follow along with Jayden's journey, you can visit this Facebook group.