A teenager who made headlines in 2018 as he fought to save his right hand that had accidentally been chopped off by a sharp blade as he cleaned a chaff cutter is now a boda boda rider.
Joseph Theuri’s hand was later reattached by a team of 15 medics led by plastic surgeons at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) -becoming the first successful surgery of its kind in Kenya.
Within just a year of the operation, the hand has regained functionality so fast baffling many, including the 18-year-old man himself.
Speaking to The Nation, Theuri reckoned that it was a painful recovery as had been predicted by the doctors during his discharge from the hospital.
He stated that he realised he could use his hand during his mandatory three weeks visit to KNH for therapy.
Interestingly, he did not know how to ride a motorbike before the reattachment surgery. He only learnt to do it as he recovered.
He added that he would be happy to get another job, not necessarily as a boda boda rider.
His guardian, Virginia Gathoni, who raised him after he was orphaned at an early age, also hopes that he can secure a job elsewhere so he can be away from the dangers of traffic.
However, Theuri admitted that his hand had not yet fully recovered noting that he still couldn't wash clothes. Someone has to do it for him.
He also cannot lift heavy loads nor write using a pen as his grip is quite loose. He nonetheless feels that his hand's capacity is normalizing as days go by.
