I started working construction after high school during the summer before college to make some extra money. After 2 years of college that I didn't care about, I dropped out and started working full time. I loved it. I got to work with my hands, be outside all day, work with some really great people, and not have to be even remotely PC. I never wanted to work as a laborer my whole life but at the time it fit very well for me. 

One of my many jobs was to operate a concrete pump and then clean up afterwards. It's a simple thing just hose it down and scrub it out. I had recently been told to do a better job on the clean up so this time I was being extra thorough. As I was finishing up there was a chunk of gravel sitting in the opening you see in the picture above. I pushed the button to kill the engine running the pump and then (stupidly) reached down to remove the last few pieces. 

Apparently, when I held the button to turn the Pump off it didn't work, and because I was running it at very low revs and I had earplugs and earmuffs on I didn't hear that it was still running. So when I leaned into the hopper to get the last few rocks, I also leaned on the button that makes the pump...pump. This large valve(the rocker valve) swung over onto my hand trapping it in the hole from the previous picture. My hand was trapped for ~8 seconds as the pump completed it's cycle. I pulled it out and saw blood on the back and front of my gloved hand and immediately put it up and behind my head then called for help. 

My coworkers all jumped into action and laid me down with my hand elevated, while they cut off circulation from the artery underneath my arm pit. The ambulance came and took me to the nearest hospital, where I was immediately choppered to Medical center. Somehow I kept conscious through all but the Helicopter ride. 

My surgeon and his team worked 11.5 hours to put all the little pieces of my hand back together. As you can see from the x-ray all the bones were broken completely off. The only thing that was holding my hand on was the tendons in my thumb and forefinger. One of the many lucky miracles that happened this day was where I severed my had is before your veins separate to the different fingers.

The morning after my surgery the doctors came in ready to take me back into the OR if the hand wasn't doing well, but my hand pulled through! Blood was pumping to all the fingers and it look as best a hand can after literally being detached. My Nurses and Doctors were all top notch and took amazing care of me and my family. For the next 10 days I stayed in the hospital in something called 'The Tropicana Room'. It is a room that is kept above 90 degrees to help facilitate blood flow. 

After the 10 days in the hospital, filled with sweaty nights, delirious Oxycontin fueled dreams, and a taco salad (the first meal I was able to keep down), the doctors felt it was time for me to return home. When I got there my dogs immediately jumped up on the bed and stayed with me for a long while. 

For the next 7 months I was put through lots of rehab and strange devices attached to my hand, and of course lots of pain killers. With the help and support of great OT's, my family and friends, my drive to get my hand back to a usable appendage was higher than ever. 

My hand made a remarkable recovery. My Doctor has taken videos of it and used as an example of the best case scenario for reattaching a hand that has been amputated. There are obviously some things that I can't do with it anymore, but they are far a few between. I've yet to let depression catch up with me, cause what's the point about crying over something you can't change? I've taken my weakness and forge it into my strength. 

My first goal was to be able to hold a bottle of beer in my hand. After accomplishing that I relearned how to write, eat, brush my teeth, type and use a mouse. I am even able to play console video games that don't require a lot of right stick use (i.e. FPS's). I've got a beautiful, compassionate, intelligent girlfriend and am just about back on course with my life. Life may kick you in the teeth, or chop off a limb, but don't let that get in your way. Today I offer you all an excuse to drink, and celebrate me Handiversary. (Careful past the the break, some images might be Not Safe For Lunch) 

To see all the pictures go to this link. http://imgur.com/gallery/nCJLr

Here are a few.

Wow, remarkable recovery.  But im pissed at the lack of training you had. This could have been avoided... i wish you well in your future endeavors. 

Let me tell you one thing. People that realy scrub the inside of  their hopper after a job have a serious problem. They should seek help. Scrubbing out your hopper everyday untill its spotless is a complete waste of time. Its like washing the bottom of your shoes everytime you've been out walking. Next time anyone tels you to go in to your hopper to get these last spots of concrete tell them to go.... But i guess you already understood that