A Martin County firefighter who has spent months recovering in a Miami hospital from injuries he sustained in the line of duty is finally heading home just in time for Mother's Day.
Jahwann McIntyre, 23, was with the fire department for only a year when he was injured and burned over 50 percent of his body while battling an early morning house fire two days after Christmas.
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He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Burn Unit on Dec. 2 after he was injured after he entered a burning home in Stewart. McIntyre along with two other Martin County firefighters got trapped inside. Police say it was arson and he was the most severely injured of the three with burns to 50 percent of his body.
On Friday, McIntyre will head home.
"We're planning a big celebration. A home cooked meal first of all hahaha,” said his mother Doris McIntyre.
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"It’s the best Mother’s Day gift I could ever receive," Doris McIntyre said. "The medical staff at Jackson and Ryder Trauma Center has done an incredible job treating my son."
“I’m just overwhelmed. I’m just so excited. I mean I’m happy. I’m going home. It’s been a long journey,” said Jahwann McIntyre.
Over the five months, McIntyre had eight surgeries and countless hours of rehabilitation from Jackson’s team of doctors who gave their all to help him regain his and get his life back.
“Honestly I almost lost my life. You can’t forget an event like that and it definitely made me stronger,” he said.
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“They all worked hard. Extremely hard and they never gave up on me when I felt like giving up on myself,” he said.
He’s going to miss his new friends at JMH but as he makes his way to the fire engine waiting for him outside he can’t wait to get home and neither can his mother.
