Stephen “Tex” Aarons
Stephen “Tex” Aarons underwent surgery Wednesday morning and doctors determined he will not need skin grafting for the first- and second-degree burns he suffered when a fire gutted his Princeton Avenue home last weekend.
Aarons will remain in the intensive care unit of the Washington Hospital Center until next week. Aarons’ friends said doctors expect him to be in the hospital for another three weeks and will remove his breathing tube by this weekend.
“The first time, it was hard seeing him like that,” said Steve Osmun, a sophomore finance and logistics major and a close friend of Aarons. “I like the fact that every time I go and see him, he looks like he’s doing better.”
Aarons suffered several burns and a break in his foot when he jumped from a second-story back window of his home and landed on a car parked below to escape Saturday morning’s fire that left senior Michael Scrocca dead and five others homeless. Eighteen percent of his body is covered in burns.
Prince George’s Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said officials are waiting to interview Aarons when his conditions allow, as the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
During the surgery, doctors cleaned the burns he suffered on his arms and legs, the worst of which occurred on his right hand. Osmun said the family is relieved Aarons’ burns were not severe enough for doctors to perform a skin graft, a procedure that replaces burned skin with healthy skin taken from other parts of the body.
Aarons will be moved from intensive care into a private room where more friends can visit. Aarons, whose nickname is “Tex” because he is from Texas, communicates by writing on a piece of paper.
Osmun said Aarons often inquires about Scrocca and his family.
“He’s doing well, considering he just found out about it,” Osmun said.
Aarons found out about Scrocca’s death from watching the news Monday, Osmun said.
“The doctors didn’t want to give him something that upsetting when he wasn’t in a stable condition,” said Bobby Ackerman, a sophomore government and politics major and another friend of Aarons. “That must have been so hard for him not to know that, and for him not to go to the services.”
Friends usually try to joke around with Aarons to keep the mood light, Osmun said. They talk about Wednesday night’s NBA Playoff game and how they expect the Washington Wizards to beat the Chicago Bulls.
“Tex is a huge [San Antonio] Spurs fan and is always telling us that the Spurs are going to win it all,” Osmun said.
Friends also bought an oversized get-well card and passed it along for friends to sign, which filled up within hours. Sorority girls from Alpha Delta Pi sent him a prop he used when he was in a skit for Greek Week in which he dressed like a postman holding a large letter.
“I’m sure he got a kick out of that,” Ackerman said.
Aarons’ friends created a website for people to post messages to him, and have been reading the messages to him. Once Aarons moves to a private room, a large group of friends plan to visit him, Osmun said.
“They can’t wait to see him,” he said.
