SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – A Southwest Miami-Dade mother and grandmother is in the hospital fighting for her life after a gas explosion in her home.
Jozenia Bello got a call that her mother was in trouble and needed help.
She recalled the call: “ ‘It was terrible,’ " the caller told her. “ ‘You need to come here now. It sounded like a bomb went off in your mom’s house.’ "
Her mother, Aleida, had been rushed to the hospital from her home at SW 145 Avenue and SW 114 Terrace in the Kendall area with third-degree burns on more than 45 percent of her body.
Aleida woke up to cook breakfast for her husband, who suffers from diabetic dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. She turned on the stove and there was a boom, then a quick flash erupted.
The windows and shutters were blown out of the house after the power blast on Nov. 13, which was caused by gas leaking into the home.
Firefighters told Jozenia her mother had walked to the ambulance.
“When they told me she walked, I felt, ‘OK, it’s not that bad,’ ” Jozenia said.
But it was bad. Aleida’s condition has become worse and will take time to heal.
Now in the hospital, Jozenia said her mother is wrapped with pressurized, vacummed-sealed bags on her legs. Her arms are wrapped, “but she has cadaver skin on top of her own skin,” Jozenia said.
The mother of 3 and grandmother of 7, the focus of the family is that Aleida, a woman known to many as someone whose faith and family means the world, pulls through.
“She’s always praying for everyone . . . she’s always thinking about other people. So, if we can get the same . . . some support,” Jozenia said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Aleida and her family.
With the holidays coming up, here are safety tips:
- Gas leaks can’t always be detected by smell, according to seniorsafetyadvice.com. A gas leak/carbon monoxide detector is recommended. They can be found in hardware stores or online and cost under $25.
- Install gas detectors anywhere gas could possibly accumulate, but also where people will be able to hear the alarm.
- To reduce the chance of fire, keep all combustible materials away from water heaters, furnaces or other gas appliances.