Category: stories

July 14, 2025

Bob’s Fight to Ride Again

You know that special thing you love that you can’t wait to do again? For Bob, 72, it’s riding his motorcycle on Arizona’s scenic byways. The engine’s roar and the wind in his face remind him of flying F-14 Tomcat jet fighters in the Navy. But an accident in his backyard put all that at […]

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July 14, 2025

High Hopes: An Unforgettable Camp Moment

Every year, camp is filled with unique and memorable moments. This year, one of ABF’s six-year-old campers was climbing a 30-foot ladder on the ropes course, and an eight-year-old camper was right behind her. The course, designed to build trust and connection, had both girls harnessed in with a team of safety volunteers on hand. […]

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June 18, 2025

Surviving to Thriving: A Journey Across the Grand Canyon

In the early hours before sunrise on May 16, eleven determined individuals embarked on an extraordinary journey. At 2:30 AM, they set out to conquer the Grand Canyon’s North Rim to South Rim, a grueling 24-mile trek in just one day. While many groups from around the world attempt the Rim-to-Rim (R2R) hike, this group […]

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March 11, 2025

CEO Corner March 2025

Dear ABF Supporters, I recently had the privilege of spending time with some of our young burn survivors and their families at our newest camp, Camp Cousteau in Loreto, Mexico. One evening at dinner, I was deeply moved by a conversation with one of the survivor’s fathers. He shared how special this time away with […]

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September 3, 2024

Mia’s School Re-Entry

This past April 5-year-old Mia and her family were in a tragic car accident where two of her siblings and grandfather passed away. Mia, another sibling, and her mom were taken to the hospital for medical care. Mia sustained a broken leg as well as burns, going down her backside from her neck down to […]

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July 3, 2024

Camp Courage 2024: Inspiring Young Burn Survivors to ‘Go for Gold

We are still beaming with pride over the success of Camp Courage! This year’s theme, “Olympics – Go for Gold,” inspired our campers to reach for the stars and strive for excellence in every aspect of their lives. Over 100 dedicated volunteers devoted their time to serving our young burn survivors, aged 6-19, through a […]

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July 3, 2024

Spreading Wildfire Awareness: How 100,000 Books Are Making a Difference

We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to a generous grant from FEMA, we have distributed over 100,000 copies of Milo and Moxie: Wildfire Prevention to children in six counties across the Western United States, all at no cost to the schools, fire departments, and families! The counties benefiting from this initiative are: Pima County, […]

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May 10, 2024

Camp Connection: A Powerful Weekend of Healing and Hope

 This past weekend, we at the Arizona Burn Foundation had the honor of hosting our annual Camp Connection event, bringing together burn survivors and their significant others for a powerful couple of days focused on healing, support, and connection. Among the participants were Mia and her husband AJ, still navigating life after Mia suffered burn […]

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June 22, 2023

From the Ashes: Jason Nelson’s Journey

*Disclaimer: The content you are about to see contains some graphic images. Summary: Jason Nelson, shares his story of a life-changing accident with fire. On February 9, 2014, Jason was in a rental house he owned, replacing carpet and painting. He took a cigarette break in the garage, but when he lit the cigarette, there was […]

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June 8, 2023

Ryan’s Transformative Journey

In 2007, our paths at the Arizona Burn Foundation intertwined with Ryan’s, setting him on an extraordinary journey that would forever change his life. Through a series of serendipitous events, Ryan found himself engaged in community service as part of a fire science program at his school. Little did he know that this experience would […]

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