Cindy Rutter Receives 2011 Breslau Award

Having lived most of her life as a burn survivor after a house fire in 1959, Cindy Rutter has shown incredible personal skill and ability in surviving and thriving from a very severe, early childhood burn injury and has used her personal experience to encourage that same kind of courage and enthusiasm for life in others affected  by burns. She has made countless contributions to the burn world, aiding burn survivors in her role as a medical professional, as a bedside nurse, and as a burn center nurse manger. Cindy has helped to instill a sense of hope, renewal and possibility, after burn injury, to hundreds of patients and their families. 

Cindy has volunteered with the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors for more than 20 years. She served on the planning committee for the 1994 and 2000 World Burn Congresses, both of which were held in San Francisco.  Cindy helped develop and is on the National Advisory Committee (NAC) of SOAR (Survivor’s Offering Assistance in Recovery), the Phoenix Society’s peer support recovery program for burn survivors and their family members. She has led SOAR peer support training in the United States and Canada. Cindy also helped to start a volunteer advocacy program for the Phoenix Society that organizes and trains people to assist in spreading the word about fire safety, burn prevention, and the need for support for burn survivors across the country. 

Cindy serves as an advisory board member for the San Diego Burn Institute, sits on the Joint Phoenix Society and ABA Aftercare Reintegration Committee, and has been involved in prevention efforts and multiple burn care research projects over the years. She was given the prestigious honors of “California Nurse of the Year” in 2000 and San Diego Chargers Community Quarterback Award in 2002 for her commitment to community service. Cindy also received a Remarkable Women award from Redbook Magazine.

Cindy has been a role model and inspiration to woman of all ages. She has demonstrated through example that you can be a beautiful woman with a successful career. She has inspired hundreds of woman that the possibilities are endless and it is possible to get married, have children, and lead a purposeful life. She has inspired hope in so many women that have gone on to achieve their dreams because they knew Cindy.