Medical staff later told Waldon that had the ambulance arrived even just one minute later, she would have been killed by the injuries caused by the inferno. As it was, she was critically injured. Waldon was immediately induced into a coma to mitigate shock, and remained in an unconscious state for a month. Meanwhile surgeons worked to save as much of her face and body as possible, using skin grafts and laser surgery to repair the damage as best they could.