Helping young patients to regain movement after suffering serious burns can be a painful process.
Dani Winker, an occupational therapist at Birmingham Children Hospital's new Burn Centre, sees patients every day who are struggling to recover from their injuries.
The 27-year-old, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, explained that while much of her work is rewarding, it can also be heart-breaking.
"Occupational therapy is a vital part of burns care, because if we don't help patients regain their range of movement the skin tightens as it heals and as they grow," said Miss Winker.
"If this was not part of their care they would have to come in for numerous operations to release the tension in the skin every three months or so, and that can be painful for them.
"What we do enables them to get on with their lives, carry on with the activities they did before, and regain their independence."
When skin is burned, it blisters and swells to protect itself and retain vital fluids, but extensive swelling can impede a patient's ability to move if left untreated.
Miss Winker has worked with many patients who have suffered 40 per cent or more burns.
She added: "I have to encourage them but they are in a lot of pain, so it is difficult for them, as they're still very worried about doing tasks or getting up and about.
"But this is why the Burn Centre is so important because occupational therapy is now up on the ward, so patients don't have to be taken to the other side of the hospital which is much better for them.
"We also have an amazing play room where they can go for therapy, which has made a big difference.
"This doesn't make my work here any less heart-breaking, but I must say these children and teenagers are amazing at getting on with things, so what I do is very rewarding from that point of view."
The Red Balloon Appeal is for the final #500,000 to complete the new #19 million Burn Centre, in readiness for its official opening in October.
But the cost of treating burns victims is not just in the bricks and mortar, as Miss Winker explained.
"I see about 32 patients a week, about 22 of those will be using pressure garments. These are vests or dressings that have to be worn 24-hours-a-day for a year.
"Each of these patients is given two vests - one to wear, one to wash - each cost about #100, and they need replacing every six to eight weeks as the children grow.
"So the basic maths involved there show how the costs soon mount up to a phenomenal amount of money. It's more than #20,000 a year."
