Documentary about Burns patient nominated for a BAFTA

Katie: My Beautiful Face, a Channel 4 documentary about a patient whose face was rebuilt thanks to the expertise of staff at Chelsea and Westminster following a horrific acid attack, has been nominated for a BAFTA—the awards ceremony will be hosted by Graham Norton at the Palladium on Sunday 6 June.

Katie Piper, a model and aspiring TV presenter, has always been quick to pay tribute to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital staff who saved her life, rebuilt her face and continue to provide ongoing care.

Katie, who suffered horrific burns in the attack on 31 March 2008, discarded her anonymity to tell her amazing story of personal courage in the Channel 4 documentary which was screened on Channel 4 in October 2009.

The depth of the burns from the sulphuric acid penetrated all layers of the skin on Katie’s face and elsewhere on her body. The extent of her burns was so severe that they destroyed all four layers of the skin down to the fat. Surgeon Mr Mohammad Jawad used an artificial skin substitute to rebuild the epidermis and dermis layers on Katie’s face before grafting skin from her back and bottom onto her face.

Katie said: “I owe my life to the doctors, nurses and all the other staff in the Burns Service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. I would have died without their amazing efforts immediately after I was attacked and they have supported me every step of the way during my treatment.

“Coming to terms with the fact that my life as I knew it before the acid attack was over, and that my facial appearance had changed forever, has been incredibly difficult. I wouldn’t have been able to rebuild my life without the support of all the staff at Chelsea and Westminster.

Mr Greg Williams, Service Lead of the Burns Service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, said: “As the only specialist Burns Service in London, we treat many patients like Katie who have suffered horrific injuries. Surgery and ongoing treatment is a long and painful journey for these patients and our role is to provide not only medical and nursing expertise to heal their injuries but also empathy, compassion and emotional support.

“Burns medicine is a little-known specialty which isn’t often in the public eye and so I hope the Channel 4 documentary has helped raise public awareness of this vital NHS service.”