When Sharon Everett left her Fort Thomas home in July for a quick trip to the grocery, the 51-year-old wife, mother and grandmother of two had no way of knowing she wouldn't return for nearly eight months.

        Pulling into her driveway Friday for the first time since she was nearly burned alive in a freak fire that erupted inside her car, Mrs. Everett was greeted by more than two dozen cheering people.

IF YOU GO

• What: Carin' for Sharon Walk-a-thon.     • When: 9 a.m. Saturday, March 17.     • Where: Tower Park, Fort Thomas.     • Information: Call Carolyn Bosch at (859) 283-9724.     Proceeds from the event will go toward Sharon Everett's medical bills.

        “I'm happy, scared and excited all at once,” said Mrs. Everett's daughter Bridgett Rice, 28, of Park Hills. “She has already faced the biggest thing — surviving. There are challenges to come, but she has already shown her strength.”

        Family members said Mrs. Everett's husband, George, who spent the last two days at a rehabilitation center learning how to care for his wife, was too exhausted to speak with reporters. A caregiver will visit the home at first.

        The family installed handrails on the front steps so Mrs. Everett could walk into her home on her own. A hand-held shower head also has been installed in the bathroom.

        “I just wanted her to see how happy we are for her and how many people are thinking about her,” said friend Joyce Muthig, 43, of Milford. “I think just knowing that people care will help her. She has a really strong spirit, and that is what has carried her through so far.”

        More than 100 friends track her recovery with daily e-mails.

        Mrs. Everett was in her car on her way home from the supermarket July 9 when fumes from pool chemicals she had bought mixed with gases from her other purchases. The combination caused a grocery bag to combust, catching her hair on fire and ultimately burning more than half her skin.

        The fire was so intense she didn't even have time to unbuckle, and she would lose her eyelids, ears and lips. Doctors, who didn't think she would live, attribute the remarkable recovery, in part, to Mrs. Everett's family. They spent countless nights at her bedside.

        Mrs. Muthig's husband, Tom, said: “It is God working through us to help one another. Sharon is an example of that. She is an inspiration to me.”
       

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