Fireworks changed boy's life

His eye was melted last year by an exploding Roman candle. The 13-year-old hopes he'll soon regain the sight he lost, regained and lost again.

By JOE HUMPHREY

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 3, 2000

TAMPA -- On Calvin Boyer's recent visits to the doctor, all he could see from his left eye was a big, blurry "E" staring back at him from the eye chart. The smaller letters below were totally unrecognizable to the 13-year-old.

His response: "Once I couldn't see anything on the chart. Thank God I'm getting better."

A year ago, Boyer's life changed in a split second on the Fourth of July. He and some friends were watching holiday fireworks in their neighborhood when a boy pointed a Roman candle at Calvin.

He and others told the boy to stop, to point the cardboard cylinder away. He didn't, and a green ball blasted out of the tube and zipped toward Calvin, exploding in his eye.

"His eye was literally melted," said Dr. Steven L. Maskin, an ophthalmologist who operated on Calvin.

Since then, Calvin has undergone nine surgeries: the emergency surgery to remove gunpowder and other chemicals from the eye; transplants of the cornea and stem cells; the removal of a scar on the new cornea.

Nine operations. And possibly more to come. Calvin has changed, family members say. He's much quieter.

"When you think about something like that happening to you, it's right in your face and you're not expecting it, it's really hard," said his grandmother, Lucille Flowers, who battled cancer this year as Calvin dealt with his injured eye. "We've always been close. Now we're closer."

Friday afternoon, Calvin sat on the couch and played in the front yard. In a soft voice, he gave short but cordial answers to questions from a reporter.

A home-schooler for much of last year, Calvin is anticipating a return to seventh grade at Sligh Middle School this August.

It wasn't until four months after the accident that Calvin received a cornea transplant, where the top layer of the eye is replaced. The operation restored Calvin's vision in his damaged eye to where he could see clearly.

Then in January, his new cornea became infected with the same bacteria that causes strep throat. The bacteria scarred the cornea directly in front of his pupil, leaving his vision blurred in that eye.

"I can see black figures and colors, shapes and stuff," he said.

He had surgery No. 9 a few weeks ago, a procedure designed to remove as much of the scar as possible. It's too soon to tell how the operation went. If successful, Calvin could see his vision restored to 20/50.

If it fails, Calvin will likely face another cornea transplant.

In the meantime, his mother, Carolyn Flowers, worries about insurance covering the expenses. Just recently, her insurance company told her it wouldn't cover a $900 prescription. And she worries about Calvin, the second of her four children.

"I wish it had not happened, so he can have a fair chance as a young man," she said.

And Calvin? He said things are "getting better." During a recent visit with Dr. Maskin, he pulled out a good-luck charm made of long black feathers and beads he managed to string on fishing line.

"He said, "I want you to know how much I appreciate what you are doing,' " Maskin recalled, holding the charm he displays on an office bookshelf.

This Fourth of July, Calvin and the family will celebrate at a relative's house near Riverview. Calvin said he wouldn't mind being around fireworks, but at his mother's insistence he won't get anywhere near a Roman candle or a cherry bomb. It's unsettling for his mother to walk through a store and still see fireworks for sale.

"My mother," Calvin explains, "she's scared of them."

"I'm scared and he's not," she chimes in from across the room, "and he should be."

-- Joe Humphrey can be reached at (813) 226-3403 or humphrey@sptimes.com.

Fireworks safety

In 1999, hospital emergency rooms treated 8,500 people for fireworks-related injuries, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. About 45 percent of those were to children younger than 15. To help you celebrate safely this July 4 holiday season, the commission offers these suggestions for the use of fireworks:

Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks. Sparklers, often used by children, burn at temperatures of 2,000 degrees.

Read and follow all warnings and instructions.

Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.

Light fireworks only on a smooth flat surface away from the house, dry leaves and flammable materials.

Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned.

Keep a bucket of water or a hose handy in case of a malfunction or fire.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.