Brandon Hefner

At 4:00am on March 22nd, Brandon Hefner awoke to what he thought must be a hail storm popping the metal roof of the small rural cabin he rented from neighbors. It turned out the sound was the cabin being engulfed in flames and he only had seconds to escape. The only exit was to go out a small window and drop several feet to the ground. With only a pause to grab his glasses and cell phone, Brandon made it out as the flames closed in on him. Brandon was not aware of the extent of his injuries as he moved away on his bare feet. Because his cabin is in such a rural location, his neighbor rushed him down the road to his nearest brother and sister from the Abilene ecclesia. They could tell he was severely burned and rushed him to the hospital. Due to the severity of his burns, he was flown to the University Medical Center burn unit in Lubbock Texas. He was monitored in the burn ICU unit and underwent extremely painful daily wound care, a two hour skin graft surgery, and very close monitoring by his team of nurses and doctors. Most of his wounds are on his back, left arm, and hands. Fortunately, his face and most of his signature beard (well known by his friends) were preserved. On April 6th, he was discharged and transferred to a rehab facility in Abilene where he stayed a few days before being officially released. Brandon’s parents, Brother Ronnie Hefner and Sister Kristin Hefner, were shown how to dress the wounds and keep an eye on things. He will work with various physical and occupational therapists for an unknown amount of time, but it appears he will retain a high percentage of movement in his hands and arm. What’s next? Brandon lost everything he owns, and his truck was also heavily damaged from the heat. At this time, Brandon isn’t sure when he’ll be able to return to work training as an electrician. It’s challenging enough to survive such a scary incident and endure the physical injuries, but the financial and emotional burden are also very heavy. Navigating medical bills from different hospitals, rehabilitation, medical transports, and physical therapy will take time. Overcoming the grief of losing all childhood mementos, countless pictures from bible schools, youth conferences, a large personal library, and so much more will be a personal journey that also needs support. The brotherhood is needed to hold him up as he gets back on his feet and continues to be a blessing to everyone who knows him. He has shown incredible resilience and has been faithful and positive throughout this ordeal.