After losing my hand in a farm accident 4 years ago, the single hardest part of the ordeal was trying to cope with the reality that I was no longer “normal”. I felt as if my identity through others’ eyes for the rest of my life would be determined solely by my loss of a limb. I felt that behind closed doors, I was simply referred to as “the guy who is missing a hand”. My identity was no longer judged upon my abilities, personality, character traits, and how I treated other people. It was just that I was missing a hand. I was embarrassed in public situations and did everything I could to hide the fact that I was missing my left hand.
I did extensive research on prosthetics companies that made custom colored prosthetics. I found out that there were significant differences in quality between companies. I found that Alatheia was on the cutting edge of technology and would produce a product that would be more realistic and last longer than any of their competitors.
I want to thank the talented, caring, amazing people at Alatheia for giving me so much more than a realistic hand. I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to lead the rest of my life free from the daily burdens that came to me the day my left hand was amputated. I want to thank them for giving me back my freedom to be me again.
-Abe Sauer
USA Paralympic Track & Field Team
