A GRANDMOTHER who lost her limbs after she got sepsis from a paper cut has become the first NHS patient in Britain to be given a life-changing bionic hand – and can’t wait to eat a burger with it.
Marguerite Henderson, 57, received a “Michelangelo” hand, and said she cannot wait to be able to eat a burger using two hands.
She lost both legs and her left arm to sepsis three years ago, and her right hand was partially saved. The prosthetic was fitted last month and has already given her vastly more independence.
For the last year, Henderson has been under the care of specialist prosthetic staff at the WestMARC centre of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow.
Henderson said: “I’ve only had it a few weeks, but already it’s helping me to be more independent. It will mean very simple things like cutting my own food, eating different things, feeling comfortable about eating out – I can’t wait to eat a burger, which of course you need two hands for.”
Henderson, from Crosshill in Fife, has made remarkable progress since her near fatal illness in February 2018.
After sepsis ripped through her body in a matter of days she had to have both legs and her left arm amputated. The right hand was partially saved and she has amazed everyone with how much she has been able to continue to use it.
Her new high-tech hand works by moving different muscles in her forearm to trigger the hand to do different movements.
Senior prosthetist Vincent MacEachen explained: “The Michelangelo hand is quite intuitive.
“There are two sensors in the socket on Marguerite’s arm – basically one to open and one to close.
“How strongly Marguerite flexes her muscles determines the speed and the movement the hand makes.”
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