Charlie Anne Xavier publicly recognizes the first responders that saved her life

ORANGE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - One year ago, Charlie Anne Xavier, a young mother of two, was fighting for her life in VCU Health’s burn center.

Now, she is celebrating how far she has come since then, meeting and thanking her rescuers.

At the Orange County Festival, the Xavier family marked the anniversary of a terrifying day.

“On September 10, I was burned to the 3rd and 4th degree on 85% of my body, and I didn’t really know how I wanted to celebrate that anniversary. I did want to tell my friends and family,” Charlie Anne said.

She decided she also wanted to celebrate the ones who saved her life.

“If I didn’t have them on that day, responding as quickly as they did, I would not be here, so I’m very appreciative to them,” Charlie Anne said. “When it happened to me it was very frightening day, and to think that these were the last people to see it was a comforting thing, and at the same time so was finding them a year later, like family reunited. I’m grateful and happy and happy to be alive.”

Charlie Anne says that being able to express her gratitude to them is an amazing gift.

“In so many situations they put in efforts to save people and they don’t know what the outcome will be, nor can they really find out,” she said. “It’s not everyday that they get to see that somebody is okay and that they really are heroes.”

She says one of her heroes was unable to attend the event, a flight paramedic who was by her side in the helicopter on the way to the burn unit.

“Those were the moments where I felt I was gonna be drawing my last breath, and he was so calming and nurturing and I couldn’t think of anyone better to be by my side in moments I thought might be my last,” Charlie Anne said.

Chuck Reinhold is a volunteer fireman for Gordonsville, and he was at the scene of the accident.

“It was a pretty dramatic scene. Very rarely do we see victims that at the extent of her injury be able to communicate, and she was in shock,” Reinhold said. “It’s always great to be able to reconnect with with the patient, and she’s beautiful, she’s just a miracle, it’s great to see her.”

Noah Madden, a lieutenant for Fire and EMS in Orange County was also a part of the response team for the accident.

“We made sure the fire was out, and we got off all the clothes that were sticking to her, and just began prepping her so we could get her to the ambulance and so we could get her on pain medication and to the helicopter,” Madden said. “It’s an amazing story of recovery, it’s an amazing story of determination and the will to survive.”

Charlie Anne says that without the heroic response team that came to her rescue, she would not be here today.

Andre Xavier released a book titled “I Almost Lost Her” which he described as “a memoir of an unthinkable tragedy.”

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