A man who has been left covered in scars after surviving a terrifying explosion as a toddler is sharing the importance of self-love on TikTok – and he’s racked up 230,000 fans.

Joshua Reyes, 32, from Weslaco, Texas was only two years old when the horrific accident happened in August 1991.

The tot was visiting Mexico for a work trip with his mother, Martha, and his father, Eddie, an evangelist.

But what should have been a fun family vacation descended into tragedy.

As they were walking outside one day on the holiday, Joshua grabbed a bottle of liquid that he thought was water and poured its contents on his neck to cool down in the sweltering heat.

He does not remember how he got a hold of the liquid or where he got it from.

All of a sudden, his body started to feel even hotter and he realised something was wrong – Joshua had unknowingly poured a flammable liquid on his body.

He threw the bottle across the room, which landed on a water heater and exploded into flames.

His father Eddie grabbed Joshua and Martha and quickly ran away from the explosion.

Joshua and Martha were both seriously injured and were transported to a hospital in Galveston, Texas.

Sadly, Martha died in hospital due to complications.

Joshua suffered third-degree burns on 95% of his body including his face, torso, arms, legs and back – with doctors giving him just a 1% chance of survival.

“My dad heroically saved both me and my mother, who had also tried to save me as well,” Joshua told Jam Press.

“My burns were so severe 95% of my body was covered in third-degree burns.

“The doctor said he had never seen anything like that, and that it was the maximum he had ever seen anybody get burned.”

Incredibly, Joshua managed to beat the odds and survived the ordeal – but the recovery process was excruciating.

The survivor recalled being bathed in a medical bath at a hospital to disinfect his body in an incredibly painful ordeal.

“The recovery was pretty brutal,” Joshua explained.

“I remember how difficult it was to take my first step to walk, it was difficult to shower.

“They would give you these bed pools where they would debridement [treat skin wounds] to take out dirt to disinfect your body, and it was the most painful thing you could ever feel.

“It was water with medicine in it, so it burns.

“Afterwards they would take you out and scrape you with a narrow-looking ice cream scooper from hell, to get all the debridement out so you can heal properly.”

Josh spent a year and a half in the hospital recovering from his injuries.

He has since undergone 90 surgeries including skin grafts and operations to increase his mobility.

Josh underwent a spinal surgery at 20-years-old, and that was the last operation he had.

Thankfully, Joshua is now at peace with his appearance and is not interested in cosmetic surgery.

He added “I’m happy with how I look – I’m happy with how everything is going for me, at least.

“I'm content in how I look. If there is any scar tissue that I can get removed to feel more comfortable, then yes I’m all for that.”

Now, he is using his TikTok page to spread happiness and positivity – urging people to love themselves inside and out.

He has amassed over 230,000 followers on the app, where he posts funny reactions to viral videos, and also teaches people lessons in self-acceptance.

“Self-acceptance is one of the most important things that we need to understand about ourselves,” Joshua said.

“True self-love is accepting who you are and what you look like.

“And it doesn’t matter what anybody else says, as long as you accept and love yourself for who you are.

“For example, I know exactly what I look like. I tell people jokingly that I know I look like a burnt tater tot.

“But I love myself because I accept myself for who I am and what I look like, and because of that I deem myself beautiful and handsome.

"I’m not in any kind of delusion.

“Self-acceptance is one of the most beautiful things that you can do.”

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