SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A celebration to start the new year ended with one teen in the hospital, missing pieces of his right hand.
Zackary Ghowiba of Tavares was with a group of friends in Lake Mary on New Year’s Eve. He said someone brought fireworks to light at midnight.
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Ghowiba lit a firework and put it on the ground, but it didn’t spark. When he picked it up to relight it, the firework exploded in his hand.
At first, Ghowiba said he only felt a burning sensation.
“When I looked down at my hand, I realized it wasn’t just a burn. My thumb was hanging by the tendon,” Ghowiba said.
His friends became frantic as he ran to grab paper towels to wrap around his hand.
“I almost passed out. There was a lot of blood loss,” Ghowiba said.
One of his friends called 911. When paramedics arrived on the scene, he was rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Ghowiba thought his thumb was the only finger damaged.
When he got to the hospital though, he realized his index finger would have to be amputated along with part of his thumb and middle finger.
This injury has changed how he operates on a day-to-day basis and his plans for the future.
“I [have to] learn how to write again in my left hand,” Ghowiba said. “I [have to] learn how to do basic things that most people are able to do.”
He is now relying on his family for daily support.
“I don’t know what I would do without them,” Ghowiba said.
The teen does not have medical insurance to cover the hospital bills.
He and his family are hoping the community could step in and help by donating to this GoFundMe.
More than $8,000 has already been raised.
“It’s very heartwarming that people care. I honestly didn’t think anybody would care,” Ghowiba said.
Although he has lost about three fingers, Ghowiba still finds the strength to smile.
“If I was always down and I hated my life, it wouldn’t do anything positive to my problem,” Ghowiba said.
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