Boy left terribly burned after mother used butane to do weed faces losing voice

A boy left terribly burned after his mother’s weed lab was engulfed by a butane explosion now faces losing his voice forever.

Brian Adams, 16, was given just a five per cent chance of survival after his mother Amanda Skardoutos’ reckless drug manufacturing sparked an explosion whose flames engulfed his body.

She was jailed for at least six years in the wake of the 2017 accident, which was sparked by her use of butane to process hash oil.

Brian, from Detroit, subsequently underwent vital tracheotomy surgery to help him breathe.

But surgeons subsequently warned Brian’s dad and carer Robert that scar tissue could form at any time, costing the youngster his ability to speak forever.

Robert has since found an expert who could save Brian’s voice, but the procedure will cost $170,000, and the family’s insurers are refusing to pay.

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The dedicated dad told WXYZ: ‘The only priority I am focused on is my son’s airway.

‘Right now my roof is leaking. My kitchen ceiling collapsed.

‘All this crazy stuff is going on. None of that even matters.’

‘He fought so hard and I owe him this procedure.

‘The kid has had a rough life.’

Brian’s 11 year-old brother Damien, who was less seriously injured in the blast, is also desperate for his brother to have the surgery so they can maintain their close bond.

He said: ‘It is important. I like playing with him.

‘I like playing games. He is my brother and I want to hear him talk.’

But the future is starting to look brighter for Brian, with a fundraiser set up to fund the surgery rocketing to $134,000 by Friday morning.