Three weeks after a propane gas grill accident hospitalized her with first- and second-degree burns to most of her upper body, including her face and neck, ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Hannah Storm returned to the airwaves on Tuesday when she hosted ABC’s Rose Parade telecast.
On December 11, Storm said when she tried to re-ignite the propane gas grill, “there was an explosion and this wall of fire came at me in an instant.”
Storm “lost roughly half her hair,” and her “eyebrows and eyelashes also were burned off.”
“This hair wasn’t real, these eyebrows weren’t real,” she said. “It’s important to remember burns take a long time to heal.”
Storm thanked everyone who helped her recover during the broadcast and said she was glad her daughters “got to see mommy doing what she usually does.”
“Being on TV, being on the set, that brings a sense of normalcy,” Storm said.
Since Storm is left-handed, “the burns and an infection make it hard to turn pages on a script or take notes,” and doctors have told her to avoid sunlight on the most seriously burned areas.
Storm said it was difficult to dress and shower and her husband, NBC and Golf Channel Sportscaster Dan Hicks, rearranged his schedule to help her recover.
A Notre Dame alum, Storm hopes to anchor “SportsCenter” on Sunday and then watch her Fighting Irish battle Alabama for the BCS national title on Monday.
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