by Caitlin Williams | ABC7 News Texas
January 22, 2021 at 9:21 PM CST
West Texas Rehab: Man regains strength in arm after tragic accident
SAN ANGELO, Texas (TNN) - We’re continuing to highlight West Texas Rehab a non-profit that makes sure people get the therapy they need regardless of their financial situation.
Simple tasks we do every day, haven’t been easy for Issac Pierce.
”I couldn’t use a broom, fold clothes, dress myself, couldn’t put my own shoes on,” said Pierce.
Pierce suffered a debilitating injury two years ago. He was working at a tire plant, when his arm was pulled into a conveyor belt.
“The company jacket grabbed a hold of my rib cage, starting squeezing me, it broke three ribs,” he said. “It collapsed my right lung, I lost nine pints of blood on the ground.”
His arm was crushed, leading to a long hospital stay to reconstruct bones and tendons.
”They were able to take tendons from one area of his hand and transfer them to another area of his hand in order to get them to work,” says Matthew Wymore, a certified hand therapist and OT at West Texas Rehab.
Pierce has been at West Texas Rehab for over two months now and his strength has grown tremendously. He’s now able to fold clothes, use a broom, tie his shoes, and be a dad.
”Me and my son fixed his bike yesterday, got it going,” he said.
Wymore says Pierce’s can-do attitude has made all the difference in his recovery.
”To have this type of injury can be very debilitating, if you don’t have the right attitude and the right work ethic, things can go nowhere,” said Wymore. “Luckily for Issac, he’s got a can do attitude and he’s worked.”
That work ethic comes naturally for Pierce. And he has a practical outlook in the healing process, understanding his limits, but never giving up.
”Keep doing what you wanna do in life,” said Pierce. “People will say, ‘Why don’t you be careful?’ My hand is going to do what it’s supposed to do. It ain’t gonna allow me to overdo it. It knows its limitations.”
Pierce has access to top of the line equipment and therapists, that Wymore says, wouldn’t be available if it wasn’t for their donors.