Canon-McMillan senior badly burned in house fire defies odds, walks at graduation

CANONSBURG, Pa. — A senior at Canon-McMillan who was badly hurt in a house fire in February was able to walk the stage at graduation.

Dominic Mansmann is being released from the West Penn Hospital burn unit Friday after a 102-day stay. Dominic overcame incredible obstacles and walked last Friday night at his high school graduation. In February, Dom was rushed to the hospital with burns covering 70% of his body after a terrible house fire. The fire miraculously missed his face and feet.

“My hands are pretty much back to normal. They used to be twice this size, really puffy because of skin grafts and staples up and down my arms,” Dominic said. “Skin moves all over the places, it stretches and contracts. When you get burns it scars and scars don’t like to move so I’ve constantly had to work my way through moving my body again. At first, I couldn’t walk, couldn’t stand on my own.”

“He was on the ventilator for weeks. It was surgery after surgery,” said his mother, Joni Mansmann, who has been by his side since February. “Honestly, at the beginning of this, I didn’t think we’d have him, let alone have him walk at graduation. I’m very, very proud of him.”

The Canon-Mac hockey player couldn’t walk or stand, but through excruciating pain, he gave himself a goal.

“I’m going to get out of the bed every day and walk these halls so I can walk on the turf and show these people thank you,” he said.

Dominic’s entire care team showed up for his graduation, including his doctor who shot a video of him walking.

Dominic said he could spend all evening telling Channel 11′s Cara Sapida about all the people who have supported him through this tragic accident. He wanted to thank his hockey team and community, the school district, classmates, community and his care team. But he said his determination to walk across the stage was for one person only, his mother.

“To take that walk and to show her, ‘We are done, I did it for you,’ It’s a thank you to her.”

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group