When she was only 18 months old, Terri Calvesbert was the victim of a fire at her home in Ipswich, England. She suffered 90% burns but made it out alive.

Calvesbert and her parents’ lives would never be the same from then on out, though the little girl never thought of herself as all that different from anyone else. In fact, she wasn’t; by all accounts, she was a playful girl who always wore a smile.

Today, Terri is all grown up and lives in Essex, England. In 2020, she had the great pleasure of getting married and starting a family of her own. Here’s what she looks like today!

When Terri Calvesbert was only 18 months old, she was the victim of a terrible accident. Her mother, Julie, left a cigarette by the girl’s cot, which quickly caught fire.

Terri was engulfed in a sea of flames, but firefighters were able to save her life. When firefighter Simon Bevan initially found her, he thought she was a charred plastic doll.

Terri Calvesbert – fire left her with 90 percent burns

“I have never seen anybody with extreme burns to that degree,” he said in the Channel 5 documentary, The Girl With 90% Burns.

“She was so badly burnt I could not extend her neck to resuscitate her, and her body was totally rock hard. No one was expecting Terri to survive.”

Terri was rushed to the hospital, where she was given a small chance of survival. The blaze left the young girl battling 90 percent burns to her body.

“She was normally such a brilliant sleeper, so I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t settle,” Terri’s mother Julie recalled in an interview with The Sun.

“I never smoked in the flat, but this one night I did. I don’t know why to this day, I did such a stupid thing.”

Julie left her cigarette in Terri’s room, and walked out, talking all the while to her baby. She recalled thinking that she had decided to let Terri tire herself out, in the hopes that she would fall asleep.

But Terri’s screams only grew worse, and Julie realized there was something wrong. She went back into her little girl’s room, only to find it was on fire, and now filled with black smoke.

“I just panicked, I couldn’t see anything but smoke and flames,” Julie said, stating that she instantly dialed 911.

Required more than 40 skin grafts

“I remember running into the kitchen and getting a bowl and filling it with water and throwing it into the bedroom, but it made no difference. So many people have said to me since that I should have gone in there and got her. But I panicked.”

“When it comes to that night in November, I kind of get a horrible feeling inside. But that’s the only time it really affects me,” Terri told the Daily Mail.

“What happened does stay with me, but I’m really proud of myself for what I have achieved.”

Calvesbert had to spend six months at the St. Andrews hospital in Chelmsford, England. The extensive burns left her with only a minimal chance of survival, and she required more than 40 skin grafts.

What happened two weeks after the fire sent the family spiraling down to even deeper agony.

Terri’s mother was wracked with guilt over the tragic incident and decided to leave. She and Terri’s father, Paul, had separated some months earlier, but Julie decided to move back in since she missed Terri so much. However, after the incident, she couldn’t bear to see what her actions had done to her beloved daughter, so Paul was left alone with Terri.

Though it was very tough, her father was entirely devoted to helping Terri survive, and trying to give her as close to a normal life as possible.

Terry Calvesbert – growing up

Her father’s love and support were crucial as she was growing up.

“Me and my dad are really close and he’s the one who comes when I go to hospital,” the then 12-year-old Terri said.

“He sleeps on a bed next to mine and looks after me. He talks to me when I get in a state and helps to calm me down.”

“Dad used to wash and dress me too, but I don’t need as much help with that anymore,” she added. “I’m more grown-up so I can look after myself.”

Terri Calvesbert became one of only a handful of people worldwide to survive this kind of extensive burns to her body.

At the age of 12, the girl had gone through more than 60 operations and spent 12 months in the hospital. She didn’t recall anything of the terrible day – her earliest memories include only the agony she went through as surgeons tried to restore her angelic features, one at a time.

Sadly, the fire left her with no hair, no nose, no fingers, and only one foot. Terri has had her lips rebuilt since then and will require surgeries for the rest of her life.

In an interview back in 2008 – when she was 12 years old – Terri had started wearing a wig. Despite all she went through, she always stayed brave and hopeful with the future in mind.

Survived against all odds

“The surgeons had to put on new skin and do lots of operations on my nose and lips,” Terri explained.

“My dad stays with me and takes me down to the operating theatre, but all the operations scare me and they hurt a lot.”

“The last operation I had was on my left hand, to open out my fingers, but that was horrible because it got infected and I was really sick. I need eye drops too and because I didn’t have them put in that time, my eyes were sore too,” she added.

Against all odds, though, Terri Calvesbert has survived. Though she was left with severe burns and will most likely be disfigured for the rest of her life, she captured the hearts of the people of England with her positive attitude. In recognition of this, Terri was awarded a Pride of Britain Child of Courage award by the Duchess of York in 2004.