Kai Moeller

On a regular Thursday in September 2018 Kai is looking forward to the upcoming weekend when a brief moment of inattention leads to a tragic accident.

Kai, from Germany, is a trained plant and machine operator. At his company, a manufacturer of heat sinks and housing components, he operates, among other things, the so-called straightening bench, which is used to shape aluminium parts into the desired form. „Our products“, Kai explains „are essential for high-tech-industries as they serve to dissipate heat from all kinds of technical devices.“ As he speaks you get the impression that Kai is really attached to his line of work. Having operated the straightening bench for over a year Kai feels confident with the powerful instrument.

With everything going well at work and at home Kai and his wife Nina have just recently started to build a family. The joyful anticipation of their first child is what the couple focusses on in the late summer of 2018. Both of them enjoy going about town on weekends to gather what is needed for the baby’s arrival. Who would have guessed that soon things would change dramatically for the expectant father.

An accident with severe consequences

Looking forward to the upcoming weekend a brief moment of inattention leads to a tragic accident. The straightening bench pulls in his right hand along with a huge piece of aluminium. Even though Kai quick-mindedly hits the stop button, his finger joints and skin have already suffered severe damage.

The fact that the 40-year-old doesn’t perceive any pain is due to severe trauma. Still in shock Kai is able to reach out to a co-worker asking him to call for an ambulance. Approaching the nearby Bergmannsheil Hospital in the back of the emergency vehicle he finally let’s go of himself – willing to leave himself to the expertise of the medical staff awaiting him. „I remember feeling quite confident, Kai recalls, „that the people around me would do their best to save my hand.“

A partial amputation seems inevitable

A little later when Kai is asked to sign a form to give his approval for a possible amputation, he starts to realise that the damage to his hand might be more serious than he had hoped. „This was the point when my mind went into turmoil“, Kai recalls. „Hundreds of thoughts flashing through my head - most of them revolving around „what if …“? For someone like me who earns a living as a craftsman and who was starting a family – the loss or mutilation of my right hand might have meant the end of my career.

Fear of the future was not something I was familiar with and on top of that I was really anxious to never be able to perform my sport again. Friends and family have always known me as the most passionate handball player ever. The sport of handball," says Kai, "is significant for me as it has accompanied me almost all my life. I played my way up pretty far in all the youth divisions and even met my wife Nina through it. We are both very much attached to the sport and to this day I can't imagine having a life on the side lines.“

5 minus 3 = 2

Waking up from the narcosis Kai’s mind is spinning around only one question. „As you might guess I was dying to know what was left of my right hand, Kai recalls. But of course, it was heavily bandaged so I was not able to see anything at all. My doctors kept assuring me that they had saved as much as possible by taking off as little as possible. As a result of this surgical masterpiece, I was able to keep my thumb and pinky - both fully functional - while my forefinger, middle and ring fingers had to be amputated. I guess this is what they call a blessing in disguise.“

“5 minus 3 = 2, but think about what is still possible!”

Kai Moeller

2019: baby Moritz enters the world

After spending quite a few weeks at a nearby rehab facility Kai is ready to pick up where he left off before the accident. With his amputation wounds heeling well, the father to be gets home in time for the birth of his baby boy.

What were the options?

While still in the hospital, Kai is informed by orthopaedic technicians from the hospital ‘s inhouse Care Centre about prosthetic fitting options for his hand. For the first time he becomes aware of the difference between highly functional myoelectric fittings and purely cosmetic solutions.

It is immediately clear to Kai that a cosmetic fitting is not suitable for him. "As someone who depends on "functioning hands" for work, sports and raising my children, I cannot do with a "lifeless limb." Clearly, my vanity had to give way to rational considerations." However, Kai can understand that other people, especially girls and women, feel differently in this respect. "For some people, the completeness of their body image has a higher value than for me."

He himself initially focuses on the possibility of a myoelectric fitting, which offers a range of functionalities. After a few fittings, however, he is not completely convinced by this solution either.

MCPDriver™, the perfect solution

"It was in the summer of 2019 and the time when the technicians of the Bochum Care Centre became aware of an absolute novelty in the field of hand prosthetics."

Not even approved in Germany at the time, this mechanical partial hand prosthesis developed in the U.S. called MCPDriver offered what Kai had secretly hoped for. "As soon as I tried it on for the first time, I had goose bumps because it was immediately clear to me that the solution to my problem was here in front of me. Returning to my job was suddenly within reach because the partial hand prosthesis, together with my remaining fingers, would support all necessary work activities."

The robust MCPDriver is individually manufactured and attached to both the wrist and the remaining finger stumps. The special design of the prosthesis provides the user with a high degree of grip stability and enables the application of a variety of grasp and pinch patterns - from powerful gripping to typing on a keyboard.

" Thanks to the precise adaptation to my individual anatomical conditions, the prosthesis is an irreplaceable everyday companion for me. When I come home at night, I take off the prosthesis in seconds - just like you kick off your shoes after a long day at work“, Kai states.

Everything is fine as it is

"I think it's important to convey to other people in similar situations that a work accident like mine doesn't have to mean the end of the world. You can come to terms with many situations and end up living a normal life. Now, because of my sport, I am more of a fighter, but I’m also blessed with a pretty positive outlook on life. I try to pass this on to others at every opportunity."

As far as family life is concerned, with two lively toddlers in the meantime, Kai can report no restrictions whatsoever in his playing, swimming, or climbing with his children. The fact that his offspring already have above-average motoric skills is naturally a source of great joy to the sporty parents. It remains to be seen whether Moritz and Marleen (born in 2021) will also be enthusiastic about their parents' sports.