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To those who researched for me
Dear those who have researched for me, Thank you. Truly, deeply, thank you. Thank you for the countless hours spent in labs long after the world had gone to sleep. Thank you for the papers written, the experiments repeated, the failures that had to happen before breakthroughs could come, and the determination it took to keep believing there had to be something better for patients like me. Most people will never see your work. They will never know the weight carried in resear
Kelsay Parrott
May 122 min read
To those who held my family
Dear those who held my family, Thank you for being there for my family when they needed someone to hold them. I know what happened hurt them deeper than I will ever fully understand. There are wounds that spread farbeyond the person lying in the hospital bed. Trauma echoes through entire families, throughsleepless nights, whispered prayers, exhausted tears, unanswered questions, and the unbearable feeling of watching someone you love suffer while being unable to fix it. And s
Kelsay Parrott
May 122 min read
To My teachers and professors
Dear Teachers and Professors, Thank you for your wisdom in the midst of what often felt like a never-ending battle. Thank you for continuing to teach me through the absences, the surgeries, the exhaustion, the setbacks, and all the moments where life interrupted what should have been a normal education. Thank you for not reducing me to “the sick student” or treating me as though my circumstances defined my potential. Instead, you often held me to a higher standard than the o
Kelsay Parrott
May 123 min read
To the Old Souls
Dear Old Souls, This is my affectionate name for my antique-loving friends. You know who you are. The ones who reenact history with joy in your eyes, wander antique stores with me for hours, swing dance on a Saturday night, listen to records crackle to life, drive the antique car down the road with no concern for the clock, and somehow make the world feel slower, softer, and more beautiful again. Thank you for helping me remember that the past is not something to discard, but
Kelsay Parrott
May 123 min read
Overwhelmed by Love
I have been overwhelmed with messages, emails, texts, conversations, and every form of communication surrounding my upcoming surgery. First off, thank you all for caring so deeply about me and wanting to support me through this season. Your kindness has already meant more than I can fully put into words. You would think after 23 years of this, nearly 90 surgeries, and a lifetime of recoveries, I would somehow be used to it by now. But the truth is, every surgery carries its o
Kelsay Parrott
May 103 min read
To My Fellow Burn Survivors
There are some people you meet in life who understand things without needing every explanation. People who can look at you and somehow recognize both the pain and the strength at the same time. That is what meeting all of you felt like for me. From the moment I met you, something in my heart changed. Maybe because for the first time in a long time, I did not feel like I had to explain every part of my story in order to be understood. You already knew the language of survival.
Kelsay Parrott
May 74 min read
To the Ones who have Hurt me
This is a hard thank you letter to write. Why? Because it is so counter cultural. But it is so needed. Thank you for hurting me in the way you did to help me grow in the places I have. Like a piece of china that was shattered and filled with gold, what was broken in me did not stay wasted. Your actions cut deep, your words cut deeper. There are things that were said and done that I will not pretend were small. There are moments I still remember that changed how I saw myself,
Kelsay Parrott
May 74 min read
To the Pastoral Leaders
To My Pastoral Leaders, There are certain people God places into a life who become more than mentors. More than teachers. More than leaders. They become pillars. When I look back across my life—the beauty, the grief, the rebuilding, the questions, the healing—I can see your fingerprints in places you may never fully realize. Thank you for walking with me not only through seasons where faith felt alive and joyful, but through the seasons where it felt heavy. Through the moment
Kelsay Parrott
May 76 min read
To the Music and theater Instructors
Dear Band Instructors, Choir Directors, and Theater Directors, Thank you for calling out the loves that lived deep within me— not because of my survivor story, but in spite of it. There is a part of my story I do not always know how to tell. The part where I walked into rooms already feeling seen for the wrong reasons. Where I carried the quiet weight of being watched, measured, or misunderstood— and so I chose, more often than I’d like to admit, to shrink. To sit in the back
Kelsay Parrott
May 54 min read
To the ones who saved me...
I am 1 week away from celebrating 23 years of being a survivor—and all that has been given through this journey. So for the next week, I’m honoring 23 groups of people who have carried pieces of this story with me. Maybe these are just my words—but if they echo something in your own life, share them with your people too. Whether you’ve survived something life-altering, or you’re simply surviving each day—this is for the ones who stood beside you. These will be raw. Honest. Gr
Kelsay Parrott
May 45 min read
Between Each Step
The fiddle starts as if it always knew The hour dusk would lean on windowpanes, And call the worn-out floor to wake again Beneath the weight of shoes that come and go. I take a hand—not new, not wholly known— But warm enough to trust a turning path. We move as though the music tells the truth Of where to step, though neither of us sees. A forward glide, a backstep just as sure, A pivot where the world could slip away— Yet doesn’t. Not if one still holds on fast, And listens c
Kelsay Parrott
May 41 min read
Where the Brass Remembers
A poetic narrative by Kelsay Parrott The lights hum low like a secret, gold spilling across polished floorboards that have held a thousand stories before we ever stepped inside. A trumpet cracks the silence— not gently, but like it’s waking something, like it’s calling bones to remember what they were made for. And suddenly, we are not new. Shoes slide where others once spun, hands meet like they’ve practiced this in another lifetime, another name, another face— yet the rhyth
Kelsay Parrott
May 41 min read
Unlovable...
There are moments in life where you can almost feel heaven and earth meet. Not because everything is perfect— but because you know you didn’t get here on your own. And your heart fills with a deep, overwhelming gratitude for everything the Lord has done. My Burn Survivor Anniversary is that kind of moment for me. It’s a line in the sand that says: the fire did not take me out. But if I’m honest—it tried to take more than just my body. It tried to take my identity. And for a l
Kelsay Parrott
May 35 min read
Entering into May
As we step into May, my heart feels especially full. April didn’t come quietly—it carried its weight, its challenges, its moments that stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. It has not been an easy month. But even in that, I see grace. I see growth. I see the quiet, steady faithfulness of God meeting me right where I am. Inspite of myself, the Lord has shown up. And now… May. May holds a sacred place in my story. This month marks my burn anniversary—a time that always brings m
Kelsay Parrott
Apr 302 min read
If My Pain can Help One Person, It was ALL Worth It!
That right there has become the anthem of my life: If my pain, my struggle, my suffering—if any of it can help even one person breathe a little easier, stand a little taller, or choose to stay one more day—then none of it was wasted. I would walk through it again. Every step. Every ache. Every unanswered question. I know how that sounds. It sounds irrational… maybe even a little reckless. Why would anyone choose to see their suffering that way? Why would anyone be willing to
Kelsay Parrott
Apr 254 min read
When Shame Speaks Loudest, Grace Speaks Louder
Here is your reminder to… GIVE YOURSELF GRACE I was on the phone today with one of the nurses—and a friend—from the burn center in Allentown, PA. In the middle of our conversation, she mentioned that the doctor had some concerns about my upcoming surgery. Those concerns came from something shared by a former member of my care team. They talked about something I don’t like to say out loud. That I’m a chronic picker. Even writing that carries weight. There’s a sting to it. A vu
Kelsay Parrott
Apr 244 min read
Newsletter and Merch!
More Than Merch. More Than a Newsletter. You’re Building Something. There are moments when something small becomes something so much bigger than it first appeared. This is one of those moments. What started as sharing stories, healing out loud, and creating space for connection is slowly growing into something with deeper roots—a vision of becoming a nonprofit, a place that continues to reach, restore, and remind people they are not alone. And now… you get to be part of buil
Kelsay Parrott
Apr 212 min read
Girls with Grafts Deeper Dive
First, I want to say thank you to the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors for giving me the space to share my story, my heart, and the love that has carried me through. This has been a dream of mine—to speak on the podcast and share more of my story—so truly, thank you. And if you found your way here from the “Girls with Grafts” podcast—welcome. Truly. I don’t believe in accidents when it comes to connection. If something in that conversation resonated with you, stirred somet
Kelsay Parrott
Apr 217 min read
Holding History, Preserving Memories
I went to the antique store today just to wander—to pass through aisles that felt less like a shop and more like a quiet archive of human existence. Not curated. Not polished. Just… left behind. Sold by families, left by death, history living on the shelves yet to be discovered. Old pieces and modern collectibles in the same glass cabinet, each waiting for their opportunity to be discovered and loved once again. But the deeper I walked, the more it felt like I wasn’t just loo
Kelsay Parrott
Apr 187 min read
When the Fire Falls Quiet: The Power of Becoming an Ember
The fire had already done its loud work. No towering flames. No crackling applause of burning wood. No spectacle left to impress anyone standing nearby. Just this—glowing embers, steady and alive, breathing heat into the quiet air. A different kind of power. The kind that doesn’t shout. And somehow, that’s where the depth is. We tend to celebrate the blaze—the moments in life where everything feels visible, passionate, undeniable. The seasons where purpose rises like flames i
Kelsay Parrott
Apr 173 min read
Sensitive Content:
As a trauma pastor and survivor, I find it essential to alert readers to sensitive topics, ensuring they feel safe and aren’t caught off guard. A simple warning can prevent harm, so please approach this content mindfully. If it may be sensitive for you, consider reading at a safer time or skipping it altogether. If something causes distress, please seek help from a licensed counselor, pastor, or trusted friend. Note that it’s impossible to warn for all triggers, so please advocate for yourself and assess the content before engaging. Thank you for understanding and for helping create a safer environment for all!
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