Arizona woman suffers second-degree burns on her feet during the brutal summer

WICKENBURG, Ariz. - A Wickenberg grandmother is recovering from second degree burns after her feet were on the scorching Arizona pavement for less than two minutes.

In the afternoon, heat temperatures that are coming from the ground are a lot hotter than they are in the air.

Amparos Solis couldn’t feel that heat radiating under her due to her Type 1 diabetes. The disease can cause neuropathy, or nerve damage.

"This usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and spreads upward. Poorly controlled blood sugar could cause you to lose all sense of feeling in the affected limbs over time," the Mayo Clinic said.

We want to warn you that some of the details are graphic.

Family steps up to help

"My daughter told me, ‘Something is on your feet mom,’ and I said ‘no.’ She said, ‘Yes, mom, check your feet,’" Solis remembered.

Her family was confused.

Her feet were making a squishing sound as she walked. They thought she had stepped in something.

Instead, the bottom of her feet were covered in second-degree burns.

"It was 117 that day," she said. "Too hot."

The temperature radiating from the ground can be nearly 20 degrees hotter than the air we feel.

With nine kids and 20 grandkids, Solis can’t cook for them and play with them like she used to. Fighting back tears, she says the pain is hard to manage, but she wants to be strong for her family.

"Right now, there is no time for crying," she said.

Her Type 1 diabetes makes the infection in her right foot a concern. Her family is working to stop it from spreading to avoid amputation.

Her daughter, Daliah, cleans the burns, covering them in prescription burn cream, and changes her dressings twice a day.

"My family helps me a lot," she said. "My family is always staying with me right now."

Now, more than ever, managing her sugar levels is a priority.

It was just a quick walk from the house to the car at her son’s house in Surprise that changed her life.

"I said nothing would happen and look at me now," she said, warning, "Don’t walk with no shoes because this is the consequence."

Just two minutes of bare feet on Arizona’s hot pavement can do a lifetime of damage.

If you'd like to donate to help Solis recover, you can find her GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/436b6612.