De’jon Simons … The Story of A Burn ‘Survivor’

The Dejon Simmons Story.

De’jon Simons (Author, Poet & Motivational Speaker) is a well-known Bermudian who has managed to overcome a horrific life-changing ordeal which left him with only a 5% chance of survival after he received third and fourth degree burns to 97% of his body. Because of this life changing event, he agreed to share his story with the world as he aided in the production of his tell-all documentary titled “The Dejon Simmons Story” which explores all aspects of his accident, his reaction, other people’s reactions and how he’s come to accept who he has become.

His great strength and determination exhibited in his documentary allowed him to inspire numerous amounts of people both locally and internationally which lead him to become the recipient of the 2005 Bermuda Sun’s Man of The Year Award. It was with this experience that he learned his true purpose. He recognized that he had an incredibly powerful message and was committed to sharing it.

De’jon writes on his facebook page, November 11, 2011.

Yesterday I spoke openly on the radio for two and a half hours about my situation for the first time ever. It was beyond invigorating. The radio host was crying, my PR agent was tearing up & even those just at the station looking in, but they wasn’t crying out of sadness. You see, when you bring some real to a person without any distractions or spin, the connection is unbreakable. But hearing people call into the station asking me questions, sharing their own struggles LIVE on air made me realize something. Who I am, what I write, and what I do is WAY BIGGER than me now… Realizing that, I was left with the thought of knowing ‘Memoirs of my Scars‘ is way bigger than just a book, it’s a connection …

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De’jon began writing as a therapeutic outlet.

His writing has given insight and inspiration to others erasing the physical appearance of him while letting readers find an image through his words.

Ten years of agony and hardship has lead to De’jon’s first published book (December 14, 2011) consisting of an intimate collection of poetry – ‘Memoirs of My Scars‘ – that follows his path of self-acceptance and self-expression.

The first piece, entitled “I Am Not My Skin”, introduces readers to his world of isolation and pain but the poem ends with the revelation that there is more to De’Jon than his outer appearance.De’Jon’s book has received reviews from the bestselling author of Bereolaesque: The Contemporary Gentleman & Etiquette Book for the Urban Sophisticate, Mr. Enitan Bereola II, and his ICU nurse from Shriner’s Children’s Hospital for Burn Survivors in Boston, MA. Mr. Bereola shared, “Love, hate, anger, confusion, contentment, tragedy, despair, hope, purity, honesty, authenticity, vulnerability – this isn’t a mere collection of words…this book purges understanding onto those who have none.” Nurse Maston of Shriner’s wrote, “One often wonders if there is any life worth living after such an event (the accident). This collection of poetry shows the reader that although there are many struggles after such an accident, there are also many joys to be had in life.” Ms. Maston went on to say, “The poetry is so well written that the reader actually feels what the author is feeling. I became so engrossed in what I was reading and although I found myself crying tears of sadness, there were also many tears of joy.”Since the accident, De’Jon has performed spoken word and has presented in Bermuda and the United States as a motivational speaker. Memoirs of My Scars is his first published literary works. His graphic design projects have been admired by many through flyers and artwork posted to Facebook. He has extended his talents to writing and creating riveting book covers for his upcoming book releases and other local books.