Severe burns are among the most disfiguring and painful of injuries.
And those who survive them can be scarred for life from their wounds and the psychological toll of recovery. In North Florida and South Georgia, many of the worst cases go to the burn unit at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. The unit has been closed to the media for decades. But its new director, David Mozingo, has opened the doors to let people learn more about the unit, its staff, new treatments and the patients. Times-Union reporter Mike Stobbe and photographer John Pemberton visited the unit over three months to observe the patients, their families and the medical staff.