God has plans for young burn victim, say parents

Despite scars, 5-year-old Fulton Poppe meets stares with burn safety information

Published: January 14, 2014

By Maryanne Meyerriecks
Fort Smith Correspondent

Two-year-old Marialina, 11-year-old C.J., 14-year-old Shannon and 5-year-old Fulton Poppe enjoy a story together in this undated photo. Fulton suffered burns over 40 percent of his body in January 2013.

FORT SMITH — On Jan. 8, 2013, the lives of Jay and Cassandra Poppe and their six children were changed forever following a tragic accident on Thunder Duck Ranch, their home in Muldrow, Okla.

“We were processing chickens outside,” Jay Poppe said. “A gas can exploded in my hands, and while I was trying to put out my fiery clothes, I looked over and saw that Fulton, our 4-year-old, was on fire. I tackled him to smother the flames and rushed to the house.”

“As soon as I heard the explosion I called 911,” Cassandra Poppe said. “An ambulance and helicopter were dispatched immediately. I asked Virginia (our then 15-year-old daughter) to start letting people know. She went to Facebook, of all places, and by the time I was in the air I could already feel people’s prayers. The story spread like wildfire and convents in Spain and Italy and all around the world were offering up prayers for Fulton.”

Because of the severity of his burns, which covered over 40 percent of his body, Fulton was airlifted to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston, Texas, where the Poppes continued to encounter “angels.”

“A woman named Heather called up and said, ‘You have no idea who I am but I am a Facebook friend of Julie’s (another friend),’ Cassandra Poppe said. “She lived eight blocks from the hospital and said she would help with whatever I needed. Another woman was waiting for me when I arrived and sat with me for a few hours — my first angel. I never felt alone, even on my helicopter ride to Tulsa. I continually felt God’s presence.”

Lisa Hendey, founder and editor of CatholicMom.com, where Cassandra is a columnist, mentioned the accident on “Sunlight in the Morning” and Catholic TV. Catholic homeschool organizations spread the word throughout the country, and prayers, cards, gifts and donations started pouring in.

“I was in a small room in the hospital,” Cassandra Poppe said. “Fulton was very unresponsive, and was on a ventilator for several weeks. Jay couldn’t visit until his own burns had healed.”

As she kept vigil, Cassandra said she felt as if she had been prepared for this challenge.

“I didn’t really feel a dark night of the soul,” she said. “Last year I read “Abandonment to Divine Providence” by Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade,” she said. “It showed me how to see God’s hand in everything and completely abandon myself to his will. I didn’t understand where God was going with this, but I know his hand was in it somehow.”

At home, teenage daughter Virginia was caring for the younger children — then 13-year-old Shannon, 10-year-old C.J. and 1-year-old Marialina. Cassandra Poppe’s mother, Sharon Clifton, a retired psychotherapist, helped her grandchildren deal with their worries about Fulton. (Their oldest child, then-18-year-old Ryan, also lived at home).

As Fulton began to improve, the family was able to visit, and Fulton was eventually able to live in the Ronald McDonald House and a rented house while receiving daily outpatient treatments. After he returned home in April, he had difficulty understanding why he was no longer the center of everyone’s attention, but he soon became the resilient, generous boy he’d always been.

“Recently we read a Treasure Box story about a little boy in Africa who fell into a fire and was burned. A missionary priest explained how the boy’s guardian angel was going to stop the baby from falling but God said ‘let it happen’ because he had big plans for the child,” Cassandra Poppe said.

“Now I understand why this happened,” Fulton Poppe replied.

Jay and Cassandra Poppe have told Fulton that they don’t know what God’s plan for him is yet, but that God is making him stronger so that he will be brave and do whatever God wants him to do.

Since his birth the family knew Fulton had a saint watching over him. The 5-year-old is named after Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who was declared “venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. The Archbishop Sheen Society in Peoria, Ill., heard about Fulton’s accident and sent the family a second class relic and prayer cards and offered prayers for Fulton’s recovery.

Fulton has begun reaching out to other children to teach them fire safety. The family designed a small card explaining how he got hurt and giving fire safety tips.

“One time we were in a store and Fulton saw a girl staring at him,” Cassandra said. “He turned around and said, ‘Some people wonder what happened to me.’ He handed her a card and said, ‘This will teach you to be safe around fire.’ He understands he looks different and uses the card to help others.”

Fulton will return to Shriners Children’s Hospital several times each year until he becomes an adult. His daily treatment regimen includes massage therapy, medications and blood pressure checks. He wears special compression garments to diminish scarring. Although he suffers pain and itching, he goes to preschool twice a week and loves to participate in all the activities he did before the accident.

“Fulton today is still very generous with what he has,” Cassandra Poppe says. “He is quick to say¸ ’Yes, ma’am’ and help out. He lets me know when it’s time for prayers, and we have wonderful conversations when we pray the rosary together. I think his accident has certainly helped me put into action what I have been reading about the year before the accident. I can see that Fulton’s enthusiasm and confidence in giving out burn cards is a personality characteristic that can help him evangelize the faith.”

Running the household for several months also helped eldest daughter Virginia discern her vocation.

“She had always vacillated between religious life and motherhood and got a real taste of motherhood,” Cassandra said. “It’s a way of life she enjoys and sees as her calling.”

The Poppe’s parish, the Latin Mass community of St. Joseph Church in Tontitown, has been very supportive.

“They came over and finished processing the chickens after the accident,” Cassandra Poppe said.

Their former parish, Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Barling, held a pancake breakfast fundraiser. Families in both parishes have sent cards and gifts and lifted them up in prayer.

The love and support the Poppe family has received during the accident and Fulton’s continued recovery and resilience have strengthened their faith and shown them God’s hand in the aftermath of Fulton’s accident.

On Dec. 6 the Poppes posted a three-minute thank-you video on YouTube with spiritual quotes and photos. It can be viewed at http://bit.ly/fultonpoppe.