Family of teen girl burned over 65% of body grateful for community support


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SALT LAKE CITY — B.J. Hoaldridge and his wife, Nicole, count their blessings.

"It's been absolutely incredible," B.J. Hoaldridge said. "I've been completely blown away. I'm amazed by how many good people there are in the world. Friends, family, complete strangers."

Their daughter, Baylee, was burned from the chest down July Fourth in Mona. The ATV they rented tipped on its side and burst into flames. Baylee was in the back stuck in her seat belt until her grandfather got Baylee loose and went back to rescue her father, her parents said.

"She smiles, she cries, she sometimes gets frustrated," B.J. Hoaldridge said. "Sometimes she gets mad, and that's OK."

Sedated for her first month in the hospital, Baylee's parents marvel at her incredible fighting spirit. She saw her wounds for the first time recently as hospital staff cleaned them.

"That's when she discovered what she looked like," B.J. Hoaldridge said. "It just absolutely broke my heart. She was laying on her back and she was looking at her arms and she was looking down at her legs, her stomach."

Baylee will be in the Burn Unit at University Hospital for six to eight months getting skin grafts and undergoing physical therapy. She's drawing strength from her Facebook page: Be Brave, Baylee.

All the kind comments on social media are helping Baylee's parents, too. Nicole Hoaldridge gets courage from something her brother told her.


It just absolutely broke my heart. She was laying on her back and she was looking at her arms and she was looking down at her legs, her stomach.

–B.J. Hoaldridge


"He whispered into my ear, and he said to me, 'Don't ask why. Ask what,' and that has stuck with me," Nicole Hoaldridge said. "And as I read the comments and to hear people tell us that Baylee has touched their lives in ways they can't even begin to explain to us, and to me, that's the 'what.'"

Edge Homes, who built the family's home in Spanish Fork, surprised them by decorating Baylee's room for free, complete with light switches by her bed with dimmers for easy access. One of the many kind acts that keep them going as they tell their beautiful daughter this:

"You're a survivor. You're going to be OK. It's just going to take time," B.J. said. "You're going to make it. You're going to be a strong person again. You're going to live a wonderful life."


Heather Simonsen is the health reporter for KSL 5 TV. She's been featured in O Magazine, the New York Times, Salt Lake Magazine, Utah Style & Design and local newspapers. She was a spokesperson for the Olympics and is the mother of three.

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