Hadi Papei saw his first burn survivor at the age of 29 when he saw a post of Turia Pitt, an Australian Engineer, and fellow burn survivor on Facebook. Burned at the age of three, Hadi’s first-ever encounter with another survivor nearly 26 years later left him mind-blown and emotionally struck by what he had seen. Spending the next week searching the internet about his injuries, searching for other burn survivors like himself, Hadi found Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and began to join a community of others that looked just like him. In this episode, Hadi shares his experience as a child burn survivor growing up in Iran, and how uncovering the burn community many years later has changed his life. We also talk with Hadi about his experience as an Astrophysicist, what it means to study galaxies and the stars within it, and how he recently defended his Ph.D. publicly with the help of the tools he learned from his burn community. About Hadi PapeiHadi is an astrophysicist, teacher, and science communicator. Hadi was born and raised in Iran, where he finished his undergraduate degree in Physics while self-teaching himself English with a dream of coming to the US for graduate studies. He went to the US and received two M.Sc. degrees in Physics and Mathematics at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He later went to the Western University in Canada and obtained his Ph.D. in Astrophysics. At the moment, he is continuing his research at the same university. Hadi was burned in a kitchen accident with hot oil at the age of three on his face and shoulder and joined the burn survivor community only at the age of 29. Connecting with other burn survivors was a life-changing moment for Hadi and helped him to accept his scars for the first time.Resources from the Show Follow Hadi on TwitterWho is Turia Pitt?Supporting Children After a Burn InjuryHelping Children After a Burn InjuryQuestions Children Ask About BurnsSelf-Care for CaregiversA Caregiver’s Guide to a Burn InjuryBurn Survivors & COVID-19Video: Finding Purpose After a Burn InjurySara’s Steps e-Book for ChildrenPhoenix World Burn CongressSponsor Girls with Grafts Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org. Enjoyed the show? Tell us on social media using hashtag #GirlswithGrafts and tagging Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors!