Volunteer Chef Suffers 3rd Degree Burns Cooking Mother's Day Brunch

SKOKIE, IL — On a day meant to honor the moms in our lives, one Skokie mom found herself in the emergency with third-degree burns she got while serving her community.

On Mother's Day this year, Marcia Clunis put on her chef hat to help her church prepare brunch to celebrate other moms. According to Howard Sterling, a close friend of Clunis, the church always calls upon her for events like this because she loves to cook.

Clunis said she was cooking the Jamaican dish ackee in a pot of boiling water and picked it up by the handles to begin straining it. Disaster struck when one of the handles on the pot broke off and spilled boiling water all over Clunis' feet.

Though it was painful, Clunis said she didn't think much of it at first and put her feet in cold water to soothe her pain. It wasn't until much later in the night when the pain became unbearable and large blisters started to form on her feet.

"It didn't look that bad to me, but when I went to the emergency room the nurse said she had to take a picture and send it to a burn specialist," Clunis told Patch.

Clunis has been in the hospital at the Loyola University Medical Center since, undergoing many surgeries and in too much pain to walk at times, Sterling said. During this time, Clunic is unable to provide for her family because she is out of work.

Clunis' husband has also been out of work since getting in an accident in November, Clunis said, so medical bills will put a huge strain on their finances. Sterling said he knew Clunis' family was dependent on her, so he was inspired to start a fundraiser to help her out.

"Right away I thought, 'I have to do something,'" Sterling told Patch. "I have to figure something out because we've got to get her help."

As of Thursday, $4,360 has been raised for Clunis' medical bills out of the $9,000 goal. To donate, visit the GoFundMe campaign page.

"If you could find it in your heart to lend a helping hand to a mother, a friend, a church sister who is always there when called upon, Mrs. Clunis will need your help in this great difficult time," Sterling said.