New hands, new life for P.E.I. man

Researchers at the University of New Brunswick outfitted a P.E.I. man with prosthetic hands this week to replace the limbs he lost in a rebel attack in his native Sierre Leone.

Officials at the university's Institute of Biomedical Engineering in Fredericton say Mohammed Mara of Charlottetown is adapting well to his new hands, which are a type of prosthesis known as myoelectric.

"Even just yesterday, he was brushing his teeth, like simple things that we do every day," said Greg Bush, a research prosthetist at UNB.

"Here he was in the mirror, brushing his teeth, trying to figure out how we would get the toothpaste to the toothbrush. Tomorrow he's going to be doing some outdoor gardening."

Mara's family was slaughtered by rebel forces in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. He managed to escape but was later caught by rebels, who chopped off his hands.

In 2005, he came to P.E.I. as a refugee.

Mara had previously used hooks for hands that enable him to do simple functions.

Over the past year, a group called Friends of Mohammed raised more than $80,000 toward the purchase of prosthetic hands for Mara.

The new hands will replace the hooks, which were starting to cause problems, said Marie Burge, a member of the group.

He used the hooks by contorting his back and shoulder, which could distort his body over time.

Myolectric prosthetics use electrodes to detect muscle action in the living part of the limb. The muscle movement creates an electric signal that is amplified and drives a motor that causes the artificial part of the limb to move.

Burge said the new hands will change his life.

"It expands his possibility for his domestic life and his work life," she said.

Beyond that, just the bodily comfort of not having to utilize the hooks will beneficial, she said.

Mara is living in an apartment in Fredericton this week, trying out his new hands. He's scheduled to return to P.E.I. on the weekend.

A big celebration for Mohammed Mara is planned for May 15 in Charlottetown.