Angel Faces: Where
Girls Face their Scars
In
today’s celebrity-driven world where so much emphasis is put on appearance,
imagine how tough life must be for adolescent girls permanently disfigured by
burns or injuries.
Corona, CA, June 5, 2012 - Angel Faces®
announces its 9th annual retreat for girls with severe burn and trauma injuries.
Most of the girls at the retreat have been severely burned and while they are
lucky to have survived, these courageous young women have known unimaginable
pain. Their accidents range from car crashes, house fires, school chemistry
experiments, bonfires, gas explosions and even costume making. Some of these
girls have also had to deal with the loss of a parent or sibling in their
tragedy.
While their stories are different, the girls attending
Angel Faces® share issues that arise from their physical and emotional scars.
One girl’s father flicked his cigarette out the window of his truck after
picking her up from dance class – it landed in the back of the truck onto a
propane tank and fertilizer. Another girl was injured when a friend poured
lighter fluid on a bonfire engulfing her in flames, and two girls were badly
burned when their science class teacher poured methanol alcohol into the dish
they used during a science experiment. The list goes on and
on…
Today, they face new challenges, stares, teasing, and
unwanted questions. Girls from across the country and abroad come to the Angel
Faces® retreat from June 17 – 22 at Glen Ivy Retreat Center in Corona, CA. This
year, the girls are from Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, San Antonio,
Miami, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Detroit, Chicago, Tennessee, and
England.
When the girls arrive at the retreat, they often believe
they can never have normal, healthy relationships. “Will I ever get married
looking like this?” “Will a boy ever love me?” “Will I ever be kissed?” These
are the questions they ask.
At
the Angel Faces® retreat, the girls work closely with licensed, clinical
therapists, corrective cosmetic professionals, and meet other girls that face
the same struggles. The end result is a new and hope-filled start for the girls
who leave armed with the tools to create the life they want and overcome the
challenges of living with their injuries.
Angel Faces® began out of Lesia Cartelli’s own pain. Her
desire to heal from a serious burn injury over 50% of her face and body at the
age of nine in a natural gas explosion encouraged her to dedicate and create the
best possible program for adolescent girls who suffer similar disfiguring burns
and other traumatic injuries. Angel Faces® is a remarkable healing retreat that
transforms the lives of these girls and is testament to Lesia’s spirit -
something the fire could not take.
Before becoming CEO of Angel Faces®, Lesia Cartelli
launched the first camp for burn-injured children in southern California. During
a 17-year career that followed, she developed and directed after-care programs
for burn-injured children and adults, and founded the first national retreat for
adults suffering from severe burn injuries. In addition, in recognition of her
untiring efforts at Angel Faces®, Lesia was presented the Heart of a Woman Award
by Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw on the Dr. Phil Show.
Emmy award-winning TV reporter and host of PBS’ A Place
of Our Own, Elizabeth Sanchez, recently joined Angel Faces® as Executive
Director. In the news business, journalists often tell the stories of people who
have been injured physically and emotionally, but the needs of those affected
are rarely met - and often it is only temporary. When she learned of Angel
Faces' support, inspiration, and dedication to empower adolescent girls who need
it most, she knew she wanted to be a part of supporting young women to better
themselves in a critical window of their lives.
For more information and messages of hope from girls who
have attended the retreat, please visit: www.angelfacesretreat.org.
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