CHARLOTTE, NC (WIS) - Five months ago in September, Sampson Parker cut off his own arm in a do-or-die situation when he got stuck in a piece of farm equipment. In November, he returned to the Kershaw County farm to show WIS News 10 how it happened. Then in January, the fireman who had stopped to help was honored for his role in saving Parker's life.
WIS News 10 just took a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Parker recently started rehab. It's there he's learning to use his new arm, but with the same old attitude that helped him survive in the first place.
When you consider Sampson Parker is starting all over, his attitude is as solid as the metal claw at the end of his new arm.
"This is something I haven't done before. This is a challenge and I'm going to do it."
Parker's challenge is learning to use his new prosthetic arm. He's trying to pull off the simplest of tasks, like detaching a screw from a nut and working a chainlock.
"We can get it," he says. Parker usually does, even when he can't at first. He laughs it off and tries again. He knows without struggle, there is no progress. "It just takes practice, a lot of practice."
Monday morning, practice brings Parker to Carolinas Rehabilitation in Charlotte. Twice a week, he meets there with a physical therapist.
Sylvia Ceesay tries to keep Parker loose. She knows what he's been through, and what he's trying to get used to. "It's probably the hardest thing to do. You get used to doing things left-handed, or your dominant hand, it's like 'Man!'"
Parker is now adjusting to his new life without the arm he, himself, cut off. WIS News 10 was the first to introduce you to Parker last year in a story that would ultimately make national headlines.
When Parker's hand got stuck in a corn-picker he tried jamming the machine with a metal rod. Only, sparks from the friction started a fire around him. Still stuck, and with his skin starting to melt, Parker cut off his own arm. It was the only thing he could do to survive.
Getting back to normal is forcing Parker into a different routine, "Shirt, arm, cap ... go to work."
On rehab days, it isn't as simple. The hour-long session begins with some cold gel. A case of frozen shoulder and bursitis means tight tissue in Parker's shoulder needs to be broken down using an ultrasound. "But we're not searching for any babies," jokes Ceesay.
Parker moves on to stretching excercises, poking a little fun back at Ceesay. A few minutes later comes Parker's least favorite part of the day. Parker bites his lip. A few more reps, then it's on to the prosthetic.
What's left of his right arm is wrapped in a red bag. It fits in the prosthetic just like a suction device. The bag is then pulled out through a hole. Parker's arm is then almost ready to be used. "Got a trigger. Once I push that with the trigger, that's what locks the elbow in place."
The entire device is balanced by a strap around Parker's shoulder. With every move he makes, his new hand reacts. "The lower it is, the more I can open it."
But soon, Parker won't have to worry about the hook. He's getting an electronic hand. It should make it easier to grab, twist and turn - tasks that used to be so simple. "It just doesn't bother me, it truly doesn't. This is how I am. And we're just getting on with life and a new challenge."
The new challenge is about living with a plastic arm, approaching it with a clear mind - and having strength that simply can't be measured.
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Reported by Dan Tordjman
Posted by Chantelle Janelle
Sampson Parker
