Hello,

My name is James McCarthy. I live in North East Kingdom of a small town in Vermont.

Back in the Winter of 2021 my whole life changed. I had just received word that my brother had passed away. I had recently just adopted a puppy

( Great Pyrenees ) to live with me. I took "Jasmine" outside to use the restroom and she jumped out of my hands into the snow bank. The temperature that were -37 degrees Fahrenheit. So bare-handed, I dug around in the snow trying to get her out the freshly snowed piles. I brought her inside and proceeded to go back out and start shoveling paths for her for a few hours while the snow continued to come down, so that she could be able to do her business and not fall deep in the piles of snow.

I fell asleep with my wet snowy clothes on and woke up the next am not feeling like myself. I went back to bed and slept for over 3 days. My son had called a Wellness check on me when I didn't show up for my brother's funeral and that's when I was shipped to the hospital. My hands looked like I was wearing a pair of black gloves. I was told that my hands were so frostbitten and there was nothing they could do to save them.

My whole life changed and I had to adapt how to live without my hands. I ride motorcycles, ran an antique business and now I wasn't sure if I was still going to be able to do anything without my hands.

I spent the last 28 months in and out of nursing homes to learn how to take care of myself and not rely on others. I live on a fixed income now and my insurance will only 80% cost of me to get prosthetic hands.

I'm reaching out to my family, friends, my community and the world for some help to get me new prosthetics hands. Anything will help and please share to spread the word on my behalf.

Thank you!