Ever more people are surviving ever more severe burns, creating a enlarged population of burn survivors with serious physical deficits. Peter Brigham, president of the Philadelphia-based Burn Foundation, cites something called the Lethal Area 50 as an illustration. The LA 50 is a statistic that is defined by the size of a burn injury lethal to half of all burn patients. In other words, the LA 50 has risen from the low 30s to the mid-70s in the past 20 years. Most people would agree that this dramatic climb in the LA 50 is a good thing, a medical victory.
Most people begin with the assumption that life is preferable to death.
But George's story challenges this assumption, even as it affirms it. St. Mary's to minimize his hurt, or Lisa and Eileen to give him the benefit not only of their skills, but of their friendships as well. I'm just one lucky s.o.b. They stop behind a ball about 18 yards shy of the green. Five men get out, clubs in hand.