In 2018, Sal was visiting family abroad when everything changed in an instant.
A truck crashed into their car. Barrels of acid in the back split open, flooding their vehicle.
“We didn’t know what it was,” Sal says. “Then it felt like fire.”
Within moments, the acid was burning through his skin. Hospitals nearby weren’t equipped to treat severe chemical burns. By the time Sal returned to the UK for specialist care, he was critically injured. He would spend nine weeks in hospital, including a month in a coma, and undergo around 30 surgeries.
“I didn’t think I’d make it,” he says. “But I’m still here.”
Before the attack, Sal had been active and independent – working, training at the gym, living life fully. Afterwards, he lost 27 kilos and much of his muscle strength. The physical injuries were devastating, but the emotional impact ran deeper.
“I felt like I’d lost everything,” he says. “I didn’t want to be here anymore. I would wake up and just cry.”
It was hospital staff who told them about The Katie Piper Foundation. Through the Foundation, Sal was invited to attend a specialist rehabilitation programme designed around his individual needs. There, he began rebuilding – physically and emotionally. Fitness sessions helped him regain strength. Specialist scar therapy supported his recovery. But just as important was the space to be understood.
“I started to feel like myself again,” Sal says. “It rebuilt my confidence.”
For Mia, the difference was profound. “If he hadn’t gone on that rehab, I think it might have been a different story,” she says. “They saved him. And they saved us.”