Severe burn from wild parsnip lands Ottawa man in hospital
*Warning this story contains graphic contents*
An Ottawa man is recovering after suffering serious burn injuries from a wild parsnip plant, with the impacts of his wounds expected to last years.
“You don’t want this, this will affect your life,” that is the warning from Jayson Delorme, after a grueling few weeks.
Delorme is recovering at home after weeks in hospital. He was burned by a wild parsnip plant while playing paintball in Ottawa’s west end.
“Blisters the size of golf balls, I couldn’t walk,” he said. “Burning blisters hundreds of them.”
Delorme suffered first and second degree burns, within days it covered 85 per cent of his body.
“This is no joke, I’ve cried many times I still do, I cried the most when it was reaching my neck,” he said.
“It was really tough just seeing him in so much pain and seeing him without the bandages,” said his daughter, Chandra Delorme.
He’ll be dealing with the impact of his injuries for years. Delorme said he isn’t allowed in the sun and has to wear special clothing from now on.
Like many, Delorme didn’t know what wild parsnip was or what it looked like.
Here are the plant’s characteristics:
- It stands between 0.5-1.5 metres tall
- It has a slender tall green stem with yellow flowers at the top
- The plant is most dangerous when in full bloom
- The sap on the skin is what can cause injuries
“Know the areas where it grows, ditches, nature trails, even teach your kids to be aware of not going to pick wild flowers because they could be picking the heads of one of these plants,” said Chris Paquette, program manager with the City of Ottawa’s Public Works.
The city says it has treated several areas in the city where parsnip has been an issue. Signs also warn residents of areas where parsnip has been identified, but not yet removed.
Diana Thibodeau spotted wild parsnip in her back yard weeks ago in Gloucester and was able to safely remove it.
“I am just so grateful for my curiosity and my love of plants, because when I saw a new one it’s kind of, ‘Oh, I’m curious what have I got growing on my property now?' If I had not done that, I would’ve had no idea that’s what was going on on my property and probably would’ve gotten burned,” said Thibodeau.
And so while education and awareness are the keys to staying safe, Delorme is sharing his story to help others.
“I’m here to show you the suffering I went through, I don’t want anyone to do it, it ain’t fun,” he said.
Delorme’s daughter has started a GoFund me page to help support him in his recovery. He has been off work for weeks now and won’t be able to return for quite some time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca