Imagine waking up in a Denver hospital and finding that you no longer have hands.
That is exactly what happened to Samoana Matagi just before Christmas this past year. Sam was severely burned in an electrical accident while working as a lineman in a small Colorado town. Nearly 15,000 volts of unbridled electricity raged through Sam's body, leaving his hands irreparably damaged.
One of the first people contacted about this tragedy was Sam's older brother, Fatu Matagi. Fatu says that the phone call he received left him "feeling numb." He immediately trekked from his home in Bountiful to the hospital in Denver where both of Sam's deadened hands had been amputated at the mid forearm.
Fatu knew he could offer comfort that no one else could offer because in August 2008 he experienced a very similar accident that resulted in the amputation of his entire right arm.
"It was freakish," Fatu recalled, "It's like there's a dark cloud floating around you and everyone you know. I knew I just needed to get over there and do everything I could — do everything he did for me while I was in the hospital."
Sam says that having his brother with him helped him get through the toughest part of his ordeal.
"He knows everything I am going through," he said. "I was really missing him when he left Colorado to go home to Utah."
Sam was moved from Colorado to Utah — where he is much closer to family and friends — the first week of January.
"It is good to be back in Utah with family. It is good being close to everybody, that helps a lot with the mental aspects," Sam said. "It is especially good to be closer to the wisdom and understanding of the brother who has shared these experiences."
Fatu is glad he has been around to support his brother.
"I knew what he was going through because I've been through it," he said. "I'm still going through it. At the same time it really doesn't matter. All that really matters is that I'm here to help."
Many moments are very painful. Life for both Sam and Fatu has been forever changed. Yet somehow the heart-wrenching loss this family has experienced, now for a second time, has not taken the fight out of them. They still work hard to face each moment with a smile.
Sam's mother recounted that in a phone call soon after his accident, Sam told her he should be able to get ready faster in the morning now because he wouldn't have to waste time doing his nails. Sam and Fatu had family and friends doubled over in hysterics as they recalled their flight together from Colorado to Utah. During the flight, Sam was mincing along in his hospital gown and Fatu trying to do everything for both of them with his one arm while flabbergasted passengers looked on.
Through it all, these brothers are still plunging through life looking for good. Their strength encourages not only each other, but everyone around them as well. Wave after wave of visitors clustered into Sam's tiny hospital room to enjoy the laughter and quiet peace that radiates from these men. Even with only one hand between them, these brothers are still touching lives for good.
Sam hopes to be able to be home with his mother before the end of January. Although his surgeries are now at an end, he has still has a lot to do. He needs to learn to feed himself, shower on his own, brush his teeth and get dressed all without the use of his hands.
He will be able to leave the hospital once he learns to care for himself. But as Sam continues to heal he knows that his big brother will always be there as his biggest cheerleader of all.
Melissa DeMoux is a stay-at-home mother of six young children who lives in West Valley City.