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
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.