JOSH’S STORY IS UNIQUE BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN ON BOTH SIDES OF A WORKPLACE INJURY: On December 1, 2017, he was operating a steel cutting bandsaw, which is a powerful piece of equipment that can cut multiple steel bars within seconds. The business owner wanted him to learn all the different operations within the company, and this workstation was the last one he needed to learn. It was late in the day, and a last-minute order had come in. He was making the cuts with the bandsaw when some material got jammed. He tried to correct the jam and hit the wrong button on the machine. The machine pulled his hand into the saw and cut all four fingers off.

FINDING A SKILLED HAND SURGEON POST ACCIDENT WAS NOT AN EASY FEAT: When Josh was injured, his coworkers worked to stop him from bleeding out, and they found his fingers. So, they could possibly be reattached. He was taken by ambulance to the closest hospital, but they did not have a hand surgeon to perform a traumatic hand surgery. The hospital called all over North Florida and Southeast Georgia, and none of the hospitals would see him. The hospital found a surgeon in Bradenton, Florida, who was the best hand surgeon in Florida, and he was willing to see him. He was taken by air ambulance to Blake Medical Center, and a sixteen-hour surgery was performed that evening. All fingers, except for his middle finger, were successfully reattached.

SURGERY WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF HIS RECOVERY PROCESS: When he awoke after surgery, he was in intensive care and didn’t know where he was. He felt agitated (which is not in his nature) and discombobulated. His right arm was held up in a position that resembled a cobra. All his veins, arteries, tendons, muscles in his hand, and fingers had been reattached. He was discharged home after ten days in the hospital. He lived in St. Augustine, Florida, so it took about three to four hours to get home the day he was released. He was home for about a month and a half and then was referred to Brooks Rehab for a therapy evaluation. He met a certified hand specialist there, and his rehab journey began.

IN ORDER TO GAIN USE OF HIS HAND AGAIN, HE WOULD REQUIRE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF REHAB: When he was first discharged from the hospital, he could not let his arm hang down for longer than a few minutes. It was incredibly painful due to having nerves completely severed. He would try to grab or pick up something, but he could not. It was incredibly frustrating during the early days of rehab. Everything got better in baby steps.

HE ALSO REQUIRED ADDITIONAL SURGERIES: He had ongoing therapy and was making progress, but there were times that his joint was misaligned, or scar tissue was abundant, and corrective surgery was required.

HE TRANSITIONED FROM ONE-ON-ONE THERAPY TO GROUP OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: He was paired up with people who had similar injuries, and they would inspire each other. He could hear their stories, and pushing each other to get stronger was rewarding. During this time, he had the idea to go back to school and become a hand therapist. His hand therapist was his biggest advocate and encouraged him to pursue it. While some of his doctors tried to discourage him and told him it would be too difficult, he didn’t listen. He didn’t have his settlement yet, so he was financially hurting at the time. His family was very supportive of his plan, and he would need a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) to be cleared to pursue this occupation. His FCE was performed by Josh Schutte (he was previously on Adjusted Season Four, date aired 10/31/22), and he cleared him and was very encouraging about his goal of becoming a hand therapist.

IT IS INCREDIBLE TO BE BACK AT THE PLACE HELPING PATIENTS WHERE HE RECEIVED HIS TREATMENT: Josh is employed at Brooks Rehab, and he knew from day one that was where he wanted to work. He works in the stroke and neuro unit, but a few times a month, he will get a patient with a severe hand injury, and it is so rewarding to help them. He also disclosed that his father was previously a patient at Brooks Rehab when he had suffered a stroke. Josh said that Brooks Rehab “runs in the family.” Josh just celebrated his one-year anniversary at Brooks Rehab and loves what he does.

JOSH ALSO HAS A TIKTOK CHANNEL: Seeing his father suffer with self-care tasks post-stroke and knowing the self-care tasks he struggled with early on post-injury, he created a channel of showing people ways they could make adaptive equipment at home using items that are lying around the house. He also shows what items can be bought for around fifteen dollars, which can really help people. He makes videos relating to sensory items that can assist people. These videos can be found on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. He advises people to advocate for themselves and not to give up. There were times he was very low and struggled. It is important to set goals and “keep your eye on the prize.” He feels very blessed for how far he has come and is grateful for all the people who have supported him. He is now married, and they are due any day to have a baby girl!! He said he wouldn’t trade the journey of what happened to him for anything. If his injury hadn’t occurred, he would not have become a hand therapist!