Prosthetics offer helping hands to refugees who froze fingers

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This article was published 23/05/2018 (2710 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eating was a tough task for the two Ghana men who lost their fingers to frostbite in a much-publicized crossing into Canada at Emerson in December, 2016.

They would strap a spoon onto their wrist with a Velcro contraption but they could only use one utensil at a time.

That promises to be one major change now that the men have received prosthetic fingers. Razak Iyal, 34, received his last Friday and Seidu Mohammed, 25, on Tuesday.

The mechanical devices are known as M-Fingers and include dexterous fingers controlled by movements of the wrist, a process the men said is not as complicated as it sounds.

“We are very excited and happy. It’s going to help us overcome some challenges we face and will make a huge impact in our lives,” said Mohammed.

Iyal has already learned how to pick up a utensil, a cup, open drawers and the fridge.

“It’s changing my life totally because we’ve been struggling to do things. The easiest thing to do is look for someone to help you,” said Iyal.

There will be much occupational therapy ahead, however. One of the huge challenges to not having fingers is when you drop something, say a coin or a card while getting on a bus, you can’t pick it up. That will come with time by using the new fingers.

“You have to work on it,” said Iyal. He can lift up objects weighing up to seven pounds, he’s been told.

“It’s like a glove,” he said. “The doctor told me to use it like a tool” that he puts on or takes off as needed.

The two men crossed into Canada from the United States seeking asylum on Christmas Eve. They suffered severe frostbite crossing the border in frigid conditions. Both have been granted refugee status.

Without their fingers, it has been a task just to dress themselves without help. The M-Fingers will help make them be more independent in that regard but probably not completely.

Iyal has an advantage in that he still has his own thumb. That has made a tremendous difference. Iyal has been able to live on his own but Mohammed does not.

For Mohammed, just to take a drink was difficult. He had to put his lips around a glass, grab it with his teeth, and then raise and tilt back his head.

The men had been using phones and computer keyboards by attaching a type of pen to their wrists. It will take effort to master tasks using fine motor skills with their prosthetic hands.

“We hope to work. We are tired of being at home because of our situation,” said Iyal. The Society of Manitobans with Disabilities has been trying to find them jobs, and the M-Fingers will make them more employable.

The men are extraordinarily grateful to Manitoba Health, which footed the bill for the prosthetic fingers, costing $8,000 to $10,000 per hand.

“They are both quite overwhelmed with joy,” said Frank Indome, vice-president of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba.

Many good Samaritans dropped by their hospital beds when the situation of the Ghana asylum seekers losing their fingers was first publicized, including doctors, and helped them through the process of applying for prosthetics, Indome said.

“We want to take this opportunity to thank Manitoba Health,” said Iyal. “We also thank the people of Manitoba and of Winnipeg. They have supported us from the day we got here. We have a lot of good people around us.”

Peter ten Krooden, a prosthetist at Anderson Orthopedics, fitted the men with their prosthetic devices.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca