Dave Pelzer's mother held his arm over a flame for 58 seconds.
It was just one instance in a childhood full of abuses - being locked in the basement, going for weeks without being fed - that lasted until Pelzer was in the fifth-grade.But those 58 seconds Pelzer now attributes as the most important of his life. Those seconds turned him from a victim to a survivor.
Pelzer's story was part of the 10th annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference, "Preserving the Innocence of Children," held at Weber State University Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 600 Utah social workers, teachers and medical professionals gathered in an effort to stop child and domestic abuse.
The 36-year-old Pelzer told the crowd if no one had thanked them for their efforts on the behalf of abused children, he thought it was time.
"It takes a community to save a child," Pelzer said. "If all the people you save can't say thank you, I can. . . . Somehow, someway, I am the yield of your labor."
Pelzer was beaten, stabbed and abused emotionally and mentally by his mother while his father refused to intervene. It was teachers, a school nurse and a police officer who recognized the signs and, risking their jobs, intervened to get young Pelzer away from his mother in 1973.
The Californian now tours the country with a message of hope for abused children - and a message that people can make a difference, one that could save a child's life.
He calls foster care workers, police officers, social workers, teachers and medical professionals true heroes.
In 1993, Pelzer was recognized as one of the 10 Outstanding Young Americans. The following year he was the only American honored as one of the Outstanding Young Persons of the World.
His life story, "The Child Called It," was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
However the man who is scheduled for a September appearance on the "Montel Williams Show" is worlds away from the Daly City, Calif., home of his childhood.
When he was taken from his home, a police officer told him he was the third-most abused child in California that year. "My mother was sick. She nearly killed me six times," Pelzer said.
His mother, an alcoholic, played "games" with him, including forcing him to drink ammonia. He said he wasn't allowed to look at his brothers and his mother went from calling him "The Boy" to merely calling him "It" while he was forced to live alone in the basement and steal food.
One especially bad day, his mother stabbed him in the chest and then refused to take him for medical treatment.
Pelzer now hopes his experiences help others to realize obstacles can be conquered and that the impact of others can change lives.
He urged those who work with troubled families to fight harder, ask the right questions and battle the problems they see with honor.
"I owe my life to my teachers, my social workers, my (police) officers," Pelzer said. "Chances are you are here for a reason. Chances are you are here because you have honor."