I thought I’d never have sex again when a rocket exploded on my penis at a family fireworks display – my skin melted off
WRITHING in agony, Andrew Disney glanced down to where the rocket had just exploded.
With his entire groin soaked in blood, Andrew had just one thought – ‘Have I lost my manhood?’
His nightmare began on July 4th 2022, American Independence Day as he took his son to a family fireworks display.
“I’d grown up in Hampshire but had moved to America in 2007 and lived there ever since,” says Andrew, 47, working in telecommunications sales.
“I loved life in Texas with my American wife Megan and our son, then eight.
“And we were about to have the classic American experience – a 4th of July celebration.”
A friend was hosting the get-together, and like many homes nearby they had space to spare.
“They had two and a half acres and, because this was Texas, I knew there’d be more than a few sparklers,” he says.
“When it comes to fireworks in this part of the world, the bigger the better.”
Dressing for the July Texas heat Andrew threw on a T-shirt and shorts – then reached for his favourite belt.
“I could see Megan rolling her eyes as I put it on, because she’d never liked it. It had a big metal buckle that jangled and rattled, and she found it incredibly annoying. But I refused to give it up.”
Arriving at their friend’s house with their son, they got stuck into the food and drink.
“Then as it got dark, we all headed outside,” he says.
“Megan moved our camper chairs to sit near some other parents and chat.
“Behind us our son was playing with friends and there was a wooden pallet about 150 feet in front of me. It was being used as the base for the fireworks to be lit.”
First came Roman Candles and Catherine Wheels, then the sky started to fill up with the big, mortar-style fireworks, one after another.
Seconds later disaster struck.
“Instead of shooting up into the sky, the next one to be lit fell over and flew towards the house,” he recalls.
“Turning my head to the right, I could see it exploding on the porch, leaving a fire across the ground.
“Then, before I had time to even get up out of my chair, the second fallen firework went off. That one flew directly at me.”
For a split-second Andrew was frozen as the firework rocketed towards him. Then came the impact.
“The force of it flung me back off my chair and onto the ground. I was instantly in the most excruciating pain of my life,” he says.
“Lying back on the grass, the top of my legs and my lap felt like they were on fire. In agony all I could do was scream ‘It burns, it burns’.”
Panicking guests crowded around him and Megan went into shock.
“My ears were ringing from the explosion, but I could hear Megan”s hysterical screams, and through the smoke I could see a blur of horrified faces,” Andrew says.
“Then a woman grabbed my hand and began to pray for me. ‘I must be dying,’ I thought, in terror.”
Paramedics soon arrived but Andrew”s agony wasn’t over.
He explains: “Because the firework had blown off my shorts and underwear, they were able to quickly get to work. But they accidentally caught my testicles in the torniquet they were making.”
“I heard myself shout, ‘my bollocks are in there’. Megan had to explain that I meant my testicles, as Americans don”t know that word.”
Put on a gurney, and with three doses of the painkiller fentanyl to try and dull the agony, Andrew was able to look down at his body for the first time.
Had I lost some of my genitals? Had I lost them all?
Andrew Disney
“I just saw a big, dark, bloody mess that went from my stomach all the way down to my lower thighs,” he says.
“I felt sick, unable to figure out which parts of my body had been damaged, and how much.
“Had I lost some of my genitals? Had I lost them all?
“My head spun and my stomach lurched at the thought. It took everything I had just to keep breathing and stay calm.”
Put in an air ambulance Andrew was rushed to hospital, where he was quickly assessed by the doctors.
“I heard that 8% of my whole body now had three-degree burns, which meant that the skin had been blown off right down to the muscle.
“There was also toxic gunpowder embedded in my body and would need to be removed.
“But I wasn’t going to lose my penis or my testicles. Hearing that I felt a huge wave of relief.
“I did worry whether everything would be fully functioning.”
It was as he recovered from surgery, where the gunpowder was removed and the injuries repaired, that Andrew heard something incredible.
“The doctors told me that, without the belt buckle protecting my major organs, my injuries would have been a great deal worse,” he says.
FIREWORK SAFETY TIPS
- Make sure bonfires and fireworks are lit 18m away from houses, trees, hedges, fences, shrubs and sheds. Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby in case of emergencies and pour water on the bonfire embers at the end of the night. Young people should be supervised when lighting fireworks and only light one at a time. Always read the instructions on the packaging before lighting and never go back to a lit firework!
- Always check that the fireworks you buy are British Safety Standard approved, marked by ‘BS7114’ on the box. Buying British Safety Standard means that the fireworks have been made and can be used safely without any firing mishaps.
- Rockets travel at 150 mph, the equivalent of 67 metres per second! Make sure they only go upwards. Think about where the hot residue will land (haystacks, heathland, urban buildings, thatched roofs) when aiming the rocket pre-lighting up.
- Sparklers burn at between 1,000 and 1,600 degrees Celsius. Three together represent the output of a welding torch. Wear gloves and mind loose clothing and when finished with, pop the used sticks in a bucket of water.
- When creating your bonfire, be sure to check for small wildlife and insects that could be hiding within twigs and kindling before you light a match.
- Stand at a safe distance from the lit bonfire, as embers can jump from the fire onto clothing. If this does happen, simply pat the embers down to put out the tiny flame.
- When making clothing choices: the heavier the fabric the longer it will take to burn, fluffy and fuzzy fabrics however burn a lot quicker.
- Loud noises of the fireworks can startle pets and trigger them to act aggressively. Keep all windows and doors locked to minimise the sounds and to prevent scared animals running away.
“The rattling belt, the one that Megan hated, had probably saved my life.”
It brought a much-needed smile at a very difficult time, but Andrew found himself haunted by the horrors of what had happened.
“I struggled with frightening flashbacks,” he says.
“Remembering the moment of impact, the pain and the rush to hospital was horrible.
“And I couldn’t help but think about the children who had been playing behind our chairs, including our son. Just minutes before he’d been standing between us for a photo.
“Being hit by that firework was horrendous, but it could have hit one of the kids or the older people behind us. That would have been even worse.”
Andrew also saw Megan struggling, focusing everything on supporting his recovery while battling her own trauma.
“She was incredible, by my side through the hospital stay and surgeries including skin grafts, and then being my nurse at home once I was discharged,” he says.
“She managed my twice-daily bandage changes and medications and supported the physiotherapy I needed to help me learn how to walk again.
I’m happy to report that everything is working perfectly in the bedroom department
Andrew Disney
“Megan was my biggest cheerleader.”
Through EMDR therapy, using right-left brain stimulation with hand held devices to help reduce trauma, Megan was able to process what had happened and begin to find some peace.
And together they were able to be intimate again.
“I was definitely worried that things might not function like they had before,” he says.
“But I’m happy to report that everything is working perfectly in the bedroom department.
As for fireworks, Andrew admits that he”ll probably never enjoy a sparkler again.
“But, looking on the bright side, my belt is now safe from the fashion police,” he jokes.
“We plan to proudly display it in our house – the buckle that saved my life.”