Arms Reattached and Farm Accident Victim Goes Home

Six weeks after surgeons reattached his severed arms, 18-year-old John Thompson left a hospital Tuesday. He said: “I came down in three pieces and I’m going home in one.”

Thompson was flown by helicopter from a Minneapolis area hospital to the North Dakota family farm where his arms were torn off in a farm machinery accident. He said he was looking forward to resting at home and playing with his dog--and to a meal of home-cooked fried chicken.

Thompson stopped first in Harvey, about 25 miles from the farm, for a checkup at the hospital there. He waived wheelchair assistance and walked into the hospital unassisted as 40 well-wishers cheered. He was pronounced in good shape.

“It’s good to be back,” Thompson told the gathering, which included all nine of his senior classmates at Bowdon High School.

Thompson was working alone Jan. 11 when a power implement used to drive machinery ripped off his arms below the shoulders. He staggered to the unoccupied farmhouse, using his mouth to open doors, and punched out a phone call for help with a pencil held in his teeth.

Surgeons at North Memorial Medical Center, near Minneapolis, reattached his arms. They said they are not sure whether he will ever regain the use of his hands.

Dr. Allen Van Beek said Thompson can feed himself and care for his personal needs, and is learning to use a voice-activated computer that was donated as an aid to his rehabilitation.

While he may regain the use of his hands, doctors say that will take time and further operations. Van Beek said Thompson probably will have muscle transfer surgery in three to four months to help restore his elbow movement.