£30,000 bionic hand would change Telford mum's life - with video
A mother of four whose entire hand had to be amputated after she injured a finger is hoping bionic technology costing £30,000 will change her fortunes.
Samantha Gibson found her life was turned upside down when a simple act of cleaning up after her cat Cuckoo resulted in damage to the middle finger of her right hand in 2010.
Despite treatment for the condition mallet finger, she struggled to recover and suffers from terrible pain. Initially doctors advised her to have the injured finger removed to ease it, but things went from bad to worse.
The injury is caused by a tear of the tendon that straightens the end joint of the finger. It is often caused by catching the end of the finger while playing sport or when tucking in bed sheets.
Now the qualified flower arranger, from Telford, is hoping to raise £30k by crowd funding to cover the cost of a bionic hand which would allow her to carry out more every day activities.
The 47-year-old explained: “In 2010 I was cleaning up after my cat and snapped the end of my middle finger. It just dropped down so I went to the hospital where I was diagnosed with mallet finger. It was put in a splint for six to eight weeks, but it didn’t heal and I was in pain. Then I had an MRI scan and was referred to a hand surgeon who came up with a further diagnosis of chronic regional pain syndrome.I went through weeks of physiotherapy and had nerve blocks fitted to treat the pain which didn’t really help. The finger would not move and was fixed in a position so It was decided that it should be completely amputated right down to where the bone meets the wrist, which was done on August 9, 2011, in the hope that it wouldn’t spread.”
Mrs Gibson, of Stebbings, Sutton Hill, said that unfortunately the injury did spread to the other fingers and she was treated at London’s Guys and St Thomas Hospital for a pain relief wire to be inserted in her back. “Every operation I’ve had is for pain relief. The right hand dropped in 2014 and started to deform – it twisted up towards my chest. We discussed A full amputation which was done on November 25.
“My issues included a lung puncture caused by a nerve block and I was given an emergency chest drain and ended up in intensive care. Last year I was invited to take part in virtual tests which involved 3D technology using sensors which told my brain that my hand was there when it wasn’t, but it worked wonders and I was told I was a suitable candidate for a bionic hand.
“If I got one it would change my life. I’m hoping I can get a job in flower arranging because when my children grew up I spent four years at Telford College of Arts and Technology and got a diploma in floral arranging, then I hurt my hand and it shattered those dreams.
“I can get a plastic hand from the NHS, but it’s cosmetic and doesn’t do anything. while A bionic hand has moving parts and I would be able to pick things up, get dressed properly and cook. My husband Ian has to do quite a lot of things before he goes to work, because I find it really hard.“I was right handed so everything is hard and I taught myself to write with my left hand instead. I haven’t had much help from anyone. I’ve just had to make the best of life and get on with it. Bionic limbs aren’t available on the NHS so my son set up a crowd funding page to raise the money.”
She praised her husband Ian, 50, daughter Natasha, 22, sons Joshua, 26, and Luke, 19, for looking after her through her ordeal.
To donate towards her new hand visit the website justgiving.com/crowdfunding/samshand
