Boy with Burns on 98% of His Body Is Now Thriving After Nearly 50 Surgeries (Exclusive)

“Owen had a 0% chance to survive. God left him here for a reason. And I truly think it's to inspire others,” his mother Susan tells PEOPLE

• Owen Mahan suffered burns to 98% of his body when he was two years old

• Now 16, he has undergone 47 surgeries — and will have more in the future

• With the support of his mom Susan Mahan and Shriners Children’s Ohio, Owen is inspiring other children who have similar burn recovery journeys

At 2 years old, Owen Mahan was living in Lawrence, Kansas, when his biological mother filled a bathtub with scalding hot water and submerged him. She waited two hours to seek medical attention. The toddler suffered second- and third-degree burns to 98% of his body.

Owen was given a “0% chance to survive” before he was flown to Shriners Children’s Hospital — a pediatric facility specializing in burn care — in Dayton, Ohio.

“I was told that it was minute by minute and hour by hour,” his adoptive mother Susan Mahan tells PEOPLE.

Susan — from Brownsburg, Indiana — met Owen shortly after the accident when he was in need of a foster family.

“He was burnt, he had sores all over him. He was just a mess,” the 62-year-old recalls. “I loved him, but I needed to know that I could provide for him. All parents have to have food and clothing, the necessities, but for Owen, it's a whole lot more than that. I needed to know that I could provide for him. And Shriners let me know they had that part covered.”

At that moment, she says, “My life forever changed."

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Now 16, Owen has undergone 47 surgeries at Shriners over the years.

Owen’s initial surgeries involved cleaning his wounds and removing dead skin. He is also a bilateral below-the-knee amputee and has had numerous skin grafting procedures.

With his injuries listed as “critical,” Susan — who is a mom of nine and grandmother of seven — has learned to care for Owen’s wounds at home in between his hospital visits. And while Owen has many more surgeries to come, Shriners will be there to support him.

Jessica Wagner, at Shriners Children’s Ohio, tells PEOPLE that the hospital will treat Owen until he’s about 21 years old, which is when children stop growing, calling it “the continuum of care.”

“This is an ongoing thing,” Susan says. “We are not at the end of the rope. Our journey's not over with Shriners. We used to have more surgeries than we do now, but he's going to be 17 and we're not done yet. There's still more surgeries in his future.”

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With much of Owen’s life being spent in the hospital, Susan is in awe of how her son is able to hold his head high.

“He has every right to be mad at the world, but he has a smile on his face every single day,” she admits. “He got burnt when he was a baby, he was only two. So this is the only life he knows. But he has such a good outlook on life.”

“He's a prankster with his legs too, he even has a shirt that says $20 for a leg story,” she quips. “He says, ‘Mom, it is what it is.’ And he's so good at trying to inspire other kids that are going through similar things that he is.”

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Wagner notes that Owen’s positivity and remarkable recovery is why he is a patient ambassador for the hospital.

“We’re so grateful for Owen that he is willing to share his journey. It's so inspiring for kids who are at the very beginning of their burn injury,” Wagner says. “And we do not refer to them as burn victims. They're burn survivors.”

“Owen had a 0% chance to survive. God left him here for a reason. And I truly think it's to inspire others,” Susan adds.

Although he still has a lengthy recovery journey, Owen — alongside his mother — is thriving, telling PEOPLE, “Shriners is not just a hospital. They are my family. They gave me life. They helped me walk. They accept me for who I am.”

“He wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for them,” Susan adds.

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