Regina Benford's prognosis could have been a lot worse if not for her husband, who knew exactly what to do.
Regina Benford is recounting a personal horror that nearly left her disfigured after she fell face-first onto a hot grill in her backyard.
The 44-year-old Pennsylvania woman and her husband, Sheldon, showed Inside Edition how the mishap unfolded.
The couple said they were moving the grill from a fire pit that had become too hot 10 months ago when she tripped.
When Sheldon lifted the grill off Regina, her face was swollen so much that her eyes were closed. She likely would have been blinded if not for her glasses, which were melted in the incident.
Photos taken after the accident show grill lines in her face.
"I remember seeing myself in the mirror and that’s when I came to and screamed," she said. "I couldn't believe what I looked like."
Despite the ordeal, the healing process has been remarkable, considering what might have been.
Sheldon, a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, said he laid a wet wash cloth on her face. That quick-thinking put her on the fast track to healing.
"For one, he pushed me off the grate and saved my face and he saved my eye and by keeping it cool and moist," she recalled. "They say it's the best thing he could have done. He was always my hero but now he is really my hero."
Regina, who lives in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, is still healing and has to be very careful.
"When I’m out in the sun, I use a big hat and sunglasses,” she said.
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