Serving up spaghetti for Little D
By Daniel Arens
It was an experience no family would ever willingly choose. Yet a new bond connects the Sailers, as well as confidence and hope for the future.
It was April 16 when a bonfire led to an extremely close call. The Sailers, who live in Stanton, had a bonfire the previous evening. The following morning, Duran Sailer, Sr. was outside and set down a diesel can. Afterward, his 4-year-old son, also named Duran or “Little D,” picked the can up and threw it onto the still-smoldering fire pit.
In the resulting fire, Little D endured third degree burns on 79-80 percent of his body. Duran Sr. was nearby, as well as Little D’s sister Brooke.
“They took him to the ground,” Cindy, Little D’s mother, explained, “but he kept flaming back up.”
Finally, with the help of two neighbors, Duran was able to get the flames on his son under control, get Little D into a vehicle, and they were on the road to Hazen.
Little D was brought to Sakakawea Medical Center (SMC), where a breathing tube was inserted. Later that day, they were flown to Regions Hospital, St. Paul, Minn., which specializes in treating burns.
