Jesse on His Thoughts About His Traumatic Amputation: “There’s Always Something You Can Do”

Jesse was injured less than a year ago – in November of 2025. Part of his thumb on his dominant right hand was amputated during a work accident at his construction job. Jesse recalled: “My accident happened and then a couple days later I had the amputation. I had the time to talk to a few hand surgeons about what I should do, and they all recommended the partial thumb amputation, so that’s what I went for. The pain afterward was very little. My hand was wrapped up after the amputation, and I definitely felt ghost sensations then [also known as phantom sensations]. But not pain, so much. I just felt like my whole thumb was still there. But once it was unwrapped and I saw it, that sensation went away.”

The possibility of having a toe-to-thumb transfer was brought up to Jesse during his rehabilitation. “It was mentioned to me, but I was just against that. It’s just not my thing. I made the right decision for sure. Andy [Jesse’s prosthetist at our Maple Grove, MN, center] was in support of me getting a prosthesis instead of the transfer. We agreed it was the best way to go. I was healing up well, I was going back to work. I just wanted to keep working and not have another surgery.”

He was back at work around the start of the year, before receiving his prosthesis. “When I went back to work, I was just figuring it out. I didn’t realize how much a prosthesis could help me. I had no idea about it. But when I did get my prosthesis, and then went to work, it was really helpful. But because I was just starting, I had to take it off and take breaks. And I noticed a big difference. Not a good difference. Doing my job is much easier when I’m wearing the device.”