‘One of our own’

Newport Heights Elementary boy is fighting hard to recover from severe burns, and loved ones are eager to help.Trevor Dennis has already been blessed once in recent weeks by the kindness of strangers. The day before New Year’s Eve, the 8-year-old sustained severe burns when the trailer he slept in caught fire in the San Diego Desert. By luck, the park ranger -- and a helicopter carrying a doctor -- happened to be making rounds nearby when the accident occurred.

“Had everybody not been as close as they were, we would have lost him in the desert,� said his father, Kenny Dennis, a painting contractor in Santa Ana.

Trevor remains hospitalized at the UC San Diego Medical Center, undergoing surgeries and learning to walk again. Meanwhile, another group of benefactors is pushing for his recovery. In recent weeks, the community at Newport Heights Elementary School, where Trevor is a second-grader, has banded together to raise money for his treatment.

Some students and parents at the school know Trevor as a playful, mischievous youth and a talented student. To others, he’s just a name, a reminder of life’s unfortunate twists and turns. Both groups, however, are seeing to it that he’s back in school before too long.

“This is one of those things that gets us grounded and helps us see the bigger picture of what’s going on,� Principal Kurt Suhr said. “People just come out of the woodwork and want to do things for him.�

Over the next month, they’ll have more than one opportunity. On Feb. 10, the school is holding a series of events to benefit Trevor, including a bake sale, a blood drive and a fundraising dinner. Parent Teacher Assn. members have also approached Ruby’s Diner in Costa Mesa about a benefit later in February.

Entire classes at the school have signed cards to send to Trevor in the hospital. In addition, his father has created a special Web page about Trevor, with a gallery for guests to post messages. More than 600 responses have already come in.

“We’re really a close-knit community at that school, but also, as parents, we can imagine how horrific ... [his condition] would be,� said PTA member Deirdre Lewis. “I think I’ve only met Trevor once, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s one of our own.�

At his hospital room in San Diego, Trevor knows of the attention but can say little in return.

In the accident, which took place when a heater inside the trailer caught fire, Trevor’s vocal cords became fused together. Dennis said that his son can still produce some consonants, but otherwise relies on nods and hand gestures to communicate. Although doctors are working to regain use of his vocal cords, it may take a year before Trevor can speak again -- if he ever can at all.

Still, he’s shown other signs of recovery. No longer bedridden, Trevor has taken faltering steps again and moved back up to solid food. On the website, Trevor’s mother, Alysha Reed, has posted updates on his condition daily; recently, she wrote of him having a “saline syringe water fight� with his nurses.

Reed is staying with her son full time in San Diego, where her husband and daughter, 10-year-old Ashleigh Dennis, frequently visit. She said she was amazed by the support for Trevor in the West Newport area -- even among those who have never met him.

“I actually went to my favorite boutique and the lady in there said, ‘You haven’t been here in a month,’� Reed said. “I said, ‘I know, my son’s in the hospital,’ and she said, ‘Oh my God, you’re Trevor’s mom.’ She gave me a discount on the sweats that I bought.�

Reed described Trevor’s recovery as “two steps forward and one step back,� but she gave him a thumbs-up for resilience. Despite his discomfort, she said, he refused to take pain medication because it made him too sleepy. As a soccer player, skateboarder, snowboarder and even motorcycle rider, he was rarely lazy in the past.

“Mentally, the Trevor that’s inside of him is still there,� Dennis said. “He knows what’s going on around him. The fact that he’s still here is happiness enough.�20060202iu19rcncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Ashleigh Dennis, 10, holds a photograph of her younger brother Trevor Dennis, 8, who was severely burned while camping with his family near San Diego. Trevor’s school, Newport Heights Elementary, has planned events to help Trevor’s recovery.