On April 1, 2018, the day before his twin daughters’ birthday, firefighter Cody Burton arrived at his shift just like any other day. He was looking forward to celebrating with his family the next day, and surprising his daughters with a special gift, but his plans quickly shifted when a routine call turned into a mayday situation.
Cody and his team were called to a scene they had been to the day prior and were working their way through the smoke when he took a step where he believed was flooring, but instead there was a gaping hole.
Within seconds, everything changed. Cody’s injury landed him in the hospital with three broken ribs and a punctured lung.
“After a few hours, the medicine starts to wear off and you just don’t necessarily realize what the peaks and valleys have in store for you when you’re struggling with the pain of just casually breathing,” Cody recalls from his time following the injury.
He described that time not only in the hospital, but in the weeks that followed, as a “black hole,” saying it was as detrimental to him as it was to his kids.
“There’s no memories being made in that time,” he says.
Watch the full video above to learn more about Cody’s injury and how, with the support of his family, he navigated the pain that followed.
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