'The adrenaline saved my life': Victim of Sherbrooke explosion recovers from burns that put him in coma

Vincent Hobbs-Dostie has come a long way since the explosion that landed him in a medically induced coma in a Montreal burn unit. 

Hobbs-Dostie, 23, survived an explosion and fire that decimated the Centre de valorisation de l'aliment (CVA) in Sherbrooke, Que.on March 23.

"I was packing things up, then suddenly, the explosion happened," the former maintenance worker said.

He says he lost consciousness for a few minutes, but when he heard windows shatter, he realized they were his way out.

"I was in pain, … but I managed to get out," he said. "I would say the adrenaline saved my life."

The same day, he was taken to the Centre Hospitalier de L'Université de Montréal (CHUM)'s burn unit, where he was put into a medically induced coma for a week.

While he recovered from burns to his arms, face and back, his partner Jessica Gingras went to his bedside every day.

"It was still quite hard emotionally," she said. "I knew he was going to get out of it, because he is strong, but it was still hard on morale."

Although Hobbs-Dostie feels better physically, invisible injuries take longer to heal.

"I often wake up in the middle of the night," he said. "[I think] I have flashbacks. Whether I like it or not, it's still scars. I can't avoid what happened."

For now, he's helping to take care of Gingras's two children.

"Children are extraordinary, they bring joy," he said.

It's too early to know what he'll do with his career, he says, but he's sure of one thing: his next job will be outside.

"Working indoors doesn't appeal to me anymore," he said.