Bay amputees receive prosthetic hands
INVALUABLE GIFT: Adam Rayners, 81, being fitted with a new LN4 prosthetic hand by Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth president Denise Pudney PICTURE: EUGENE COETZEE
IT’S the simple things in life – like being able to peel a naartjie or hold a cup of coffee while nibbling on a sandwich that Adam Rayners has been dreaming of for almost 40 years.
The 81-year-old from Helenvale lost his hand in a factory accident, while working as a press operator in North End, in 1976.
Yesterday, thanks to the Bay Rotary Family Health Day, Rayners was fitted with a free LN-4 prosthetic hand.
In the midst of his happiness, a smiling Rayners recalled the day he lost his left hand, calling it the worst day of his life.
“I was just trying to operate the machine, but my hand got trapped,” he said.
But now, 39 years and six operations later, Rayners can finally hold a cup of coffee and eat a sandwich at the same time.
“I have been without a hand for such a long time that I had to adapt. I used to use my lap and my other hand to peel a naartjie. I can basically do everything now and I am very grateful for this hand,” Rayners said.
The prosthetic hand is the brainchild of American couple Ernie and Marj Meadows, who wanted to create a lasting legacy for their daughter Ellen, who died in a car accident when she was just 18.
The low-cost, durable LN-4 prosthetic hand costs just R663.51 to manufacture and is made up of plastic and adjustable straps that fit the elbow.
Since last year’s Rotary Family Health Day, Rotary
LN-4 Port Elizabeth has distributed eight LN-4 prosthetic hands to residents who have spent most of their lives with only one hand.
Samuel Poli, 55, received his hand last year and says his life has changed immeasurably since the donation.
The King William’s Townborn father of three, who now lives in Motherwell, lost his right hand in 1981 when he was working as a mechanic at a wool factory in Markman Township.
Now, 34 years later, Poli, like Rayners, speaks of the joys of simple things like holding a cup of coffee, and tying his shoelaces.
Poli said: “I heard an announcement over the radio that people could get prosthetic hands free of charge at the Rotary Family Health Days, and immediately asked my boss for the day off.
“I cannot begin to tell you how easy the hand has made my life. I used to take twice the amount of time completing simple tasks like sweeping and writing,” Poli said.
In order for the hands to function correctly, recipients need to have a stump long and firm enough to support the hand, as well as a properly functioning second hand.
Walmer resident and Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth president Denise Pudney said fitting and using the LN-4 hand became a challenge when the stump was not long enough.
“The stump has to be well below the elbow,” she said. It would not work if the stump was too short or if a person was missing just fingers.
Rotary Port Elizabeth is in possession of 50 free hands available to residents who qualify. For more information, contact Denise Pudney on 082-550 3097 or Andrew Binning on 082-372 9247.
-Siyamtanda Capa
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