Dorah Jones, 30, was left severely disabled after being burned in a house fire as a baby and endured cruel comments – but the family has now found peace after moving to their new home
The mum of a young girl who was left severely disabled after being badly burnt as a baby has found ‘peace, warmth and kindness’ in Scotland.
Dorah Jones, now 30, sustained serious burns during a fire in her South African home when she was just an infant, earning her the title of ‘the most badly burned girl in the world to survive’.
Until a year and a half ago, she lived in London with her adoptive mum Bronwen Jones. However, facing cold looks and harsh comments about Dorah’s scars, they moved to the remote town of Castletown in the Scottish Highlands.
Bronwen, aged 67, said the family endured years of wounding remarks about her daughter’s looks, including a hostile social media environment and indifference in public, like young men refusing to offer Dorah a seat on the train. As she settled into their new Highland home, Bronwen even went as far as sharing a frank letter with villagers, detailing her daughter’s suffering from abuse, reports the Daily Record.
In recent footage, a joyful Dorah is seen dancing along to a local accordionists tunes. Speaking of their life post- Brexit and relocation, Bronwen expressed: “After Brexit sections of the public seemed to get revved up more easily.” She observed an uptick in negative attitudes adding, “They were being more negative on social media and young men were not giving Dorah a seat on the train. It was very surprising to me. We went as far north as we could without falling into the sea.”
“Apart from one person, people have been lovely, it’s beautiful and peaceful. I’ve looked after Dorah since she was a baby. I wanted to remain part of Europe, so the openness of Scotland called. I was fed up with crime and negativity in England and thought it was time to go north. Two brothers bring us fresh bass from the sea, neighbours invite us for music recitals or homemade shortbread, farmers and churches have been especially kind. We want Castletown as our long-term home where we can get a big dog and I can write a book about my work in Africa.”
Dorah was severely burned in a fire and was then turned away from three hospitals in South Africa as they were convinced she was about to die. She was abandoned by her biological mother when first injured and despite years of being cot-bound, she made friends with Bronwen’s children who visited her regularly. Bronwen adopted her and it was through Dorah that she started her Children of Fire charity to help hundreds of other youngsters disfigured and disabled by burns.
Due to the severity of the fire and delays in appropriate treatment, Dorah lost her nose, eyelids, lips, bone in her forehead and hands. Her fingers fell off one by one and ears were deformed by the flames. She has been rebuilt through 45 operations but would still benefit from ear and chest surgery and a toe transplant to one hand.
Bronwen supports burn survivors as part of the UK-registered Children of Fire charity she leads. The charity steps in to support children from impoverished African communities who have been scarred by fires, offering them surgeries, medical guidance, education, and therapy.
Bronwen and her daughter have called Castletown home for the past 18 months. Their desire to relocate to Scotland was sparked by the Brexit vote in 2016, which left Bronwen “very upset”. During a heated exchange with a “poorly-trained” social worker, Bronwen expressed her frustration, saying she felt “like moving to the Outer Hebrides”.
However, their plans to settle in Scotland were thwarted by the woman, who Bronwen claims interfered “meddling without understanding the complexity of protecting a burns survivor,”. Bronwen shared: “I still help a lot of children in Africa but I’m looking for a successor. I just want to settle down here in Castletown and find peace.”
She recounted how upon her arrival, she penned all her thoughts in a letter and distributed 100 copies throughout the village. A poignant excerpt from her letter revealed: “My daughter who’s been called more foul names than you can ever imagine, also has no hands. And she has a hole in her skull. And her chest is burned too.”
“Her breasts are askew and so judgmental are the dispensers of resources, that they don’t think it is worth their effort to realign them, because even to some in the medical profession, she is a non-person and not worth it.” Bronwen added: “If you stare long enough and think long enough, you will recognise that she needs help with almost everything. Almost everything that you can do, she can’t.”
The mother and daughter duo captured hearts at this year’s Mey Highland Games, and they featured in delightful photographs with King Charles greeting participants. Dorah was beaming with joy as the King approached them. “We were the last people he saw and Dorah could feel the build-up with people saying: ‘he’s coming’,” Bronwen fondly remembered. When he finally got to us, she just did a whoop of joy as she realised the man was there and greeting us. I think he recognised us again at Canisbay Church as we were in the front pew and he said: ‘Good morning’ as he went past.”
Overcoming challenges through the years, Dorah has undergone partial facial reconstruction including a corneal graft attempt and uses a prosthetic nose. Dorah, who is developmentally understanding her safe environment, engages warmly with those around her despite limited speech, singing happily and greeting people.
Bronwen expressed deep gratitude to the Castletown community for their warmth and kindnes,s but emphasised her desire for empathy towards her situation. She said: “We are two-tone. One black, one white. That alone is enough to cause a pause mid-sentence if we both walk into a new place. And embarrassed in the gap of silence, they look away. To many my child is hideous. To me, she is beautiful. This is my life. And that of my daughter.”
The charity focused on helping burn victim survivors, particularly young Africans injured by fire, chemicals, electricity, or scalding liquids, also commits efforts toward educating their communities for both prevention and treatment.
