A now-5-year-old girl who was put in an induced coma after she was burned in an accidental grease fire has made an amazing recovery.
It's been about 7 months since Caliyah Ross was discharged from Grady Memorial Hospital. She still has to have another surgery on her face. But her mother told Channel 2's Tom Jones she is thriving at Excel Prep Academy and she said she's even teaching adults how to "preserve your pretty."
Caliyah is excelling in school and reminding people the beauty inside you is much more important than beauty on the outside.
“Preserve your pretty,” Caliyah said.
It was much different the last time Jones saw Caliyah in May.
She had just been released from the hospital where she had been in an induced coma after she suffered third degree burns from a grease fire during a BBQ at a relative's home.
“Her face was literally disfigured,” said Caliyah’s mother, Latoya Heyward.
Caliyah had to miss her pre-k graduation, so the hospital organized one for her.
“And they gave me a trophy,” Caliyah said.
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Caliyah still has scars from the incident.
It angers her mother when people stare at her or ask bizarre questions.
“She would be like, ‘Mommy, it’s OK or mommy it's fine.’ And I'm just looking at her like if she’s not mad, why am I getting so upset?” Heyward said.
It's mainly because Caliyah has been taught to “preserve her pretty.”
It's a movement pushed by plastic surgeon Dr. Myla Bennett.
She spoke to Caliyah's class explaining the most beautiful part of you is what's on the inside, not what's on the outside.
It’s a concept Calilyah truly embraces.
“She's exactly what I mean when I say preserve your pretty,” Bennett said.
Caliyah's positive attitude is even teaching her teachers how to deal with adversity.
“She has taught us at excel a whole lot,” said teacher Wylene Grant.
“Just to see her now in kindergarten -- Healthy, thriving, bubbly. And her face came back,” Heyward said.
And there is more good news: The organization “Sunshine on a Rainey Day” has agreed to give Caliyah a bedroom makeover.
Her mother said her bedroom is her sanctuary and a makeover is just what she needs.