Charlottesville mother fighting for her life after a burn accident

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A young mother of two is fighting for her life in the VCU Health’s Burn Center after her body caught on fire one week ago in a horrible accident. According to Charlie Anne Xavier’s husband, André, she was working on a project at her family’s new brewery when something sparked and everything changed.

“As of last week, we were on top of the world. We had businesses, we were doing so good, and that life was taken away in a second,” André said. “An explosion happened and she was engulfed in flames.”

Eighty-five percent of Charlie Anne’s body is now covered in third-degree burns. She’s fighting for her life.

“Right now, we’re in the scary stage,” André said. “The scary part is the recovery, because it’ll be years, years, years. You have to learn everything from talking to eating to everything.”

André says it’s Charlie Anne’s 9-month-old and 4-year old sons who are giving her a reason to fight.

“I can’t imagine the pain my wife’s feeling, and that breaks my heart to think about her pain,” André said.

The medical bills, André says, are adding up.

“I know the millions of dollars,” he said. “That’s for her treatment alone.”

Charlie Anne’s friends put together a GoFundMe Page to help alleviate the cost.

“She’s just loving and comforting and she’s one of those people that when you meet her, it’s like an instant love for them and that you have an immediate connection. She’s just one of those people that you can just kind of open up to and you feel like you have known her forever,” Jamie Schwartz said.

“She is, like, the most devoted wife and the most loyal friend you can imagine,” Elizabeth Maksymonko said.

In one day, more than $30,000 has been raised on the page.

“It’s been absolutely incredible. I think it’s already been shared over 1,000 times. We’re more than halfway there,” Kiri Berdan said.

A testament, André says, to who Charlie Anne is.

“She’s beating those odds day by day. I know she’ll come home. I have no doubt,” he said.

If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe Page, click here.

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