Share
News

Little Boy Burned in House Fire Asks Santa for New Face in Christmas Letter

Share

Being a kid can be tough, especially if there’s something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

For little Bakhtiyer Sindrov from Talgar, Uzbekistan, he knows that painful feeling more than most of us can even imagine.

The 5-year-old boy enjoyed an uneventful childhood at first, according to the Daily Mail.

Then one day his home caught fire.

Bakhtiyer was trapped, and he suffered horrible burns before anyone was able to get him out.

Tragically, the blaze left serious damage to the little boy’s face.

“He was very little when his face, head, neck and shoulders got burned,” family friend Olga Ryabeva told The Sun. “He was basically melting alive.”

That injury did more than cause him a world of hurt. It meant that he couldn’t go to school.

His parents have also resorted to extreme measures when taking him outside, covering his head with a blanket.

Fortunately, Bakhtiyer hasn’t been entirely without help. As part of a charity campaign run by the group Ya Ryadom (which means “I Am Beside You”), he wrote a letter to Santa Claus asking for an extraordinary gift: a new face.

“Hello, Father Christmas!” Bakhtiyer dictated to his father because he can’t write. “I was burned when I was a little boy.”

“I lost my face in the fire and since then I have to hide from people because they are scared of me. I am scared of myself when I am looking in the mirror. I am often in pain, but I do not cry. My mother does.”

Related:
So-Called 'Junk Fees' Actually Save You Money: Ticket Prices May Soon Go Up if Dems Take Them Away

“Father Christmas, give me a new face, please, I will never cry in my life then. I just want to be like other children.”

Thankfully, little Bakhtiyer has made some progress on getting a new face, thanks to the work of some doctors at the MedIndia clinic in India. So far, reconstructive surgery has given him new lips, teeth and eyelids.

He’s also gotten implants in his neck to facilitate further surgeries.

The doctor says he’ll have another procedure this December.

Remember to pray for Bakhtiyer and others who are enduring unspeakable suffering this Christmas season.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Share
A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine.
A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine. Most days find him crafting copy for corporate and small-business clients, but he also occasionally indulges in creative writing. His short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines. Loren currently lives in south Florida with his wife and three children.
Education
Wheaton College
Location
Florida
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith, Travel




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation