Latest news with #CharmaineBenigno
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Woman burned in Aliamanu New Year's blast released
HONOLULU (KHON2) — An Oahu mother seriously injured in a fireworks explosion on New Year's Day is finally home after spending four months in the hospital recovering from life-threatening burns. The Aloha Stadium Swap Meet set to make its move Charmaine Benigno was discharged from Straub Medical Center this week, receiving an emotional send-off from hospital staff. The mother of two suffered burns to more than 80% of her body and was the last burn patient still hospitalized following the explosion in the Aliamanu neighborhood. 'Oh my God, hi, thank you guys so much,' Benigno said, clapping as she was greeted by the medical team. 'I will never forget you guys. It's been so hard, but you made it worth it.' Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Benigno was among more than 20 people injured in the Jan. 1 explosion. Doctors said she sustained the most severe burns of any survivor. 'Initially, we had to get the burned skin off — about 80% of her body,' said Dr. David Cho, a surgeon at Straub Benioff Medical Center. 'We haven't actually reconstructed anything yet. We're coming back every few weeks to do the skin grafts. So, we're slowly fixing and building step by step, but it doesn't happen all at once.' Cho said knowing Benigno was a mother helped inspire the medical team throughout her recovery. 'We all knew she had little kids to get home to,' he said. 'That made it special.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news The New Year's explosion triggered the largest surge of patients Straub Medical Center has seen in its 42-year history. Despite multiple arrests, no one has been charged in connection with the blast. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Last Aliamanu fireworks burn patient discharged from Straub
COURTESY STRAUB BENIOFF Charmaine Benigno, a mother of two in her 20s, suffered from the most complex, severe burns, according to Straub Benioff, but made an amazing recovery. She gets an emotional sendoff from Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit staff. 1 /2 COURTESY STRAUB BENIOFF Charmaine Benigno, a mother of two in her 20s, suffered from the most complex, severe burns, according to Straub Benioff, but made an amazing recovery. She gets an emotional sendoff from Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit staff. COURTESY STRAUB BENIOFF Charmaine Benigno, a mother of two in her 20s, suffered from the most complex, severe burns, according to Straub Benioff, but made an amazing recovery. She gets an emotional sendoff from Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit staff. 2 /2 COURTESY STRAUB BENIOFF Charmaine Benigno, a mother of two in her 20s, suffered from the most complex, severe burns, according to Straub Benioff, but made an amazing recovery. She gets an emotional sendoff from Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit staff. COURTESY STRAUB BENIOFF Charmaine Benigno, a mother of two in her 20s, suffered from the most complex, severe burns, according to Straub Benioff, but made an amazing recovery. She gets an emotional sendoff from Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit staff. COURTESY STRAUB BENIOFF Charmaine Benigno, a mother of two in her 20s, suffered from the most complex, severe burns, according to Straub Benioff, but made an amazing recovery. She gets an emotional sendoff from Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit staff. The Straub Benioff Medical Center today announced the discharge of the last burn patient from the Aliamanu fireworks explosion on New Year's Day. Charmaine Benigno, a mother of two in her 20s, suffered from the most complex, severe burns, according to Straub Benioff, but made an amazing recovery. She suffered burns to more than 80 % of her body. Out of more than 20 patients from the explosion, she was the last burn patient still in the care of Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit operated by Hawaii Pacific Health, more than four months later. The medical center chaplain blessed Benigno and her family before the emotional sendoff, in which dozens of staff stood in a line, holding paper hearts with personal messages of good wishes for her healing journey. They were from the Burn Care Unit, ICU, operating room and physical therapy team, who all worked with Benigno on her road to recovery. Benigno was smiling tearfully as she was rolled out in a wheelchair. She told staff she would never forget them in a video shared with the press. 'Straub Benioff team, I can't thank you all enough for the positive impact you've made, ' she is quoted as saying in a thank you note to the team. 'Each one of you has a piece of my heart. You made my life better when I felt like giving up. You are the reason I have a second chance in life. I know my journey isn't going to be easy, but I'll keep going strong, one day at a time.' She added, 'The Straub Benioff care team made me feel safe, especially when I was at my worst. They always made sure I was comfortable. My recovery was hard, but the care I received made it much better. Not only did they keep my spirits up with their help and smiles, but they also saved me through the toughest time of my life.' Dr. David Cho, Straub Benioff surgeon, recalls coming in one Sunday and seeing her awake for the first time while connected to a ventilator. It was a milestone in her recovery. 'Any patient with 80 % body burn is at real risk for death, ' he said in the release. 'Char is the survivor with the largest burn from the incident. Obviously, that makes us all so happy that she was able to survive this. More importantly, we all knew she had kids. The whole time we knew she had little kids to get home to. We knew she wanted to see the kids, and the kids wanted to see mom. So, that made it special.' Benigno still faces a long recovery ahead and will return every few weeks for skin grafts. Straub Benioff's Burn Care Unit took in a majority of the patients from the mass casualty incident on Jan. 1, including the most critically injured. On that night, the unit admitted 10 patients, which is the most from a single event than any other time in its 42-year history. The burn patients faced months of surgeries and treatments, plus recovery and rehabilitation. A total of six patients in critical condition were also sent by military plane to the Arizona Burn Center Valleywise Health for treatment and recovery. Five were from the center in March, and also face a long recovery ahead. The Jan. 1 fireworks explosion killed six and wounded dozens, and has led to at least 12 arrests and renewed efforts by lawmakers to crack down on the continued proliferation of illegal aerial fireworks in Hawaii. 13 Comments By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our. Having trouble with comments ? .
