In 1986, an accident changed Tanya Bolchen’s life forever, but eight years later another event would change it again – for the better.

Bolchen was just four months old when a room air conditioner in her grandparents’ Boscobel home overheated and set the curtains on fire in a room she was in. Amid the confusion of the moment as her family ran from the house, Bolchen was left behind, she said.

Her father ran back in to save her and when he grabbed her to carry her to safety, the air conditioning unit exploded, causing third-degree burns to her face, scalp, forearms and side, as well as...