GARDNERVILLE - Ky Nielsen made a point to thank his doctors and nurses at Carson Valley Medical Center as a helicopter prepared to take him to Sacramento.
The boy, who celebrated his 14th birthday the same day, had received second- and third-degree burns on his body the day before when his friend allegedly set him on fire.
Though he was in severe pain at the time, saying his injuries "were burning," he turned to say goodbye and thank everyone, said his mother, Debi Nielsen.
Ky needs to return to Sacramento every Monday for care. Between visits, his mother changes his dressings twice a day.
"He has a whole new left hand," she said. "It's practically a brand-new hand with skin grafted out of his thigh."
"He's working on a sponge, trying to squeeze it together, trying to massage it and squeeze it, and make movements."
Ky is expected to gain complete recovery of his hand, she said. "Ky's a healer guy."
The teen also suffered burns to the entire front of his body.
As life heads back toward something resembling normal for the Nielsens, the Shriners are developing a pressure garment for the teen to wear around his chest.
The garment, which Ky needs to wear for a year, will reduce scarring from the burns.
In the meantime, he has returned to some of his studies at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School. His mother said that getting him on a 6:40 a.m. bus would mean getting up about 4:45 a.m. to get ready. Instead, she drops him off on her way to work.
On his first day back last week, she said students rushed up to him to say, "Ky's back, Ky's back!"
On Jan. 15, Ky was with 14-year-old Joshua Thomas-Bryant. A group of boys, including Ky and Joshua, were at a Topaz ranch and siphoning gas when Ky caught fire.
Joshua was arrested Jan. 21 and charged by the Douglas County District Attorney's Office with reckless endangerment causing substantial bodily harm for Ky's injuries.
Debi Nielsen said Ky had a difficult time understanding how a friend could do such a thing.
She said it wasn't until Ky realized how painful his injuries were that he became angry about the incident.
Joshua is scheduled to appear in District Judge David Gamble's court 9 a.m. April 8. He was released into the custody of relatives at his last hearing Jan. 27.
Ky's mother has big thank-yous for the community for its support, especially Carson Valley Sertoma, the Women's Quilt Guild and Shriners Children's Hospital in Sacramento.
"I want to thank everybody in the community," she said. "I never felt like I was part of a community. I'm amazed."
She said Shriners Hospital has covered all of Ky's bills. Her rent at the hair salon was paid for two weeks and firewood brought to her home.
A trip to Sacramento on Monday for follow-up care for Ky resulted in an overnight stay. Their lodging was paid for by the Shriners.
"They've been awesome," she said. "They've been incredible. I couldn't feel more blessed."
Contact Maggie O'Neill at mo'neill@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 214.
