AN expectant mother in Nanshan District who was severely burnt in a gas explosion at home in Nanshan on May 7 chose not to use painkillers and bore the pain on her own during treatment at a hospital, the SZTV reported.

Both the woman, surnamed Zhang, and her fetus were in critical condition. Zhang is four months pregnant, according to the report.

The woman’s husband, identified as Xiao, rushed from another city to the ICU where Zhang was hospitalized on the day of the accident after receiving a call. “I couldn’t even recognize my wife when I first saw her in the bed,” said Xiao. “Her whole body was wrapped with cotton gauze and her face was badly swollen.”

The doctors’ diagnosis confirmed that Zhang had suffered from severe burns, with second-degree burns on her legs and face. Her situation was even more worrying because she was four months pregnant, which posed great difficulty for treatment.

However, in order to ensure that the fetus stayed in a safe condition, Zhang decided not to use painkillers and bore the pain on her own. “It was very hard for her and she kept saying ‘go mommy, go baby’ to encourage herself during the nights,” said the husband, sobbing.

According to Zhang’s younger sister, the woman had bought a Supor gas stove from JD.com the other day. Supor’s installer was not available May 7, but Zhang was eager to use the stove, so she asked her landlord to help her install the stove.

After completing the installation, Zhang started to boil water on the stove. According to her sister, Zhang confirmed that she had turned off the gas valve before leaving the kitchen.

The two sisters then smelled a strong scent of gas while sitting in the living room and heard the sound of air leaking after a while. Zhang stood up and went to the kitchen to check. It was then that the younger sister heard Zhang’s scream followed by a “boom.”

The expectant mother is safe from life-threatening danger at the moment, but whether the baby can be saved remains uncertain. Since the accident also involved the manufacturer of the stove and the landlord who helped with installation, Zhang and her family cannot use social medical insurance to pay for the treatment at this stage.

“The treatment fee is very expensive and we are now under great economic and mental stresses,” said the husband. He said that currently the family’s foremost challenge is to cure his wife and try to save their child.

Xiao called the customer service department of Supor and the city’s social welfare bureau, but both replied that the family could apply for compensation and insurance coverage only after the fire department submits an investigation report regarding the accident.

The police have also stepped in to investigate the cause of the explosion.

(Zhang Qian)