PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A special event was held on Sunday at UPMC Mercy Hospital to celebrate past burn survivors.

The event featured celebrations of many stories of survival.

During a Mardi Gras-themed celebration, Brandon Bauer proudly passed out beads with a smile. 

“They’ve really taken what was a traumatic event and really thrive,” said Jennifer Ziembicki, Director of the Burn Center at UPMC Mercy. “Really made a good path for themselves and families and gone beyond expectations.”

Bauer is a burn survivor who lost both his hands after being shocked on the job as an electrical lineman in 2021.

“Very close to dying actually,” Bauer said. “I ended up coming down to UPMC Mercy for treatment.”

Bauer spent five weeks at UPMC Mercy recovering and still returns every six to eight weeks for treatment/

“They treated me like family the day that I came,” Bauer said. “For those five weeks my wife was here, they treated her like gold.”

During a gathering at UPMC Mercy called Burn Survivor Sunday, Bauer and many others celebrated their road to recovery and thanked nurses and doctors at Mercy for their care.

“The patients are not just doing better but blow us away with how well they’re doing,” Ziembicki said.

Bauer, a proud husband and father of two little girls is now a national advocate for workplace safety. 

UPMC Mercy says events like this are important to reflect on the healing process for patients and recognize the staff who helped with recovery.

“It’s cool to be able to smile and give them a hug coming back after that,” Bauer said.