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Children Burned By Firecrackers Released From Hospital
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Published: July 28, 2008
TAMPA - Two toddlers burned by firecrackers July 4 returned home today to Fort Myers after spending three weeks recovering at Tampa General Hospital.
"I'm just happy to be home with the kids," said Catarina Felix, mother of 1-year-old Juan Coley and 2-year-old Mariah Felix.
Felix said she and her children were at a stop sign in Fort Myers when someone in a group of teens on the sidewalk tossed lit firecrackers inside her Toyota Camry. They landed in Juan's lap and set a blanket on fire.
The toddlers suffered second- and third-degree burns.
Police have accused Robert Lewis, 16, of intentionally throwing the pack of lit firecrackers into the car.
Felix said that the 20 days she spent in the hospital with her children has been an ordeal for her family.
"It was hard," she said. "I just didn't show it."
But Mariah is smiling again, although she seems afraid to walk on her injured leg. Juan, who has burns on his legs, even tried to dance, his mother said.
While Felix, a single mother, cared for her children, friends and strangers back home in Fort Myers worked to raise money for her family. Felix's coworkers at the Hess gas station on Palm Beach Boulevard collected about $1,000 in three days.
"We had strangers come in and give money," said Hess store manager Jeanne Cupp. "We couldn't have done it without all these wonderful people."
Staff members at the Eastside Animal Hospital next door to the gas station also collected money.
"I know she doesn't make a lot at her job and does the best she can," said Noreen Gedral, a technician at the animal hospital. "I know she's got a lot of bills."
Felix said she will use the money to pay for everyday expenses.
The Hess store and the animal hospital are still accepting donations for Felix and her children. For information, call the store at (239) 694-6070 or the hospital at (239) 694-8720.
Information from NBC affiliate WBBH in Fort Myers was used in this report.
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