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I make prosthetic limbs for the disabled living in China.
At first, I started making them for myself,
but now I make artificial limbs for other disabled people.
The people who come to me for help are generally all from the lower rungs of society.
They have low incomes, so they can't afford expensive prosthetics. Yet they still have to work for a living.
They need practical prosthetics that allow them to work.
I want to make limbs for them. I want to help those in the same situation as myself.
I hope that my prosthetics allow them to live freely.
My name is Sun Jifa. I live in Yongji county in Jilin province.
I'll be 60 this year.
I'm in good health.
I started making prosthetics in 2004. I've made limbs for over 800 people now.
These are photos sent by some of my customers.
This is from around when I joined the army. That young guy is me.
I joined the army in 1975 because of the military draft system.
I retired after 5 years of service. I had always been interested in research,
so I began studying electro-explosive devices as soon as I got out.
The detonator I was trying to make could be used to blast fish in rivers.
In a certain sense it was just for fun, so I would bring my two nephews along with me.
It was during one of these outings that I was injured.
I was still young at the time.
My bones were shattered, and blood was spraying everywhere like a fountain.
I had some experience treating wounds from my time in the military, so I knew the situation was bad.
I had my nephews with me, so I gave them instructions to stop the bleeding.
Afterwards, a local doctor looked me over and took further life-saving measures at a hospital.
The injury brought all of my dreams in life crashing to the ground.
I was very weak. I went up to the roof of the hospital many times and thought about ending my life.
My family cared for me very thoroughly.
They were worried that I would attempt suicide, so they watched over me day and night.
Life was very difficult. I couldn't take care of myself and had to depend on my family for everything.
The conclusion I arrived at was to make metal prosthetics.
I set my mind to making myself new hands.
My own research injured me, so I was going to use my own research to make myself new hands.
This is my nephew. We've worked together for many years. I can depend on him for everything.
I've taught him every technique I know. He's more than capable of doing it on his own.
He's like a leader around here now.
And this is my youngest daughter. She's in charge of admin work.
This is my eldest daughter. She packages all the prosthetics we make.
And here we have a customer.
People come by every day. We had one yesterday, and another today.
There are various degrees and severities of disability.
Some people are only missing their fingers. Other are missing everything below the elbow.
I customize the prosthetics to suit the individual's condition.
The aim is to enable them to work a little and thus live independently.
We attach these auxiliary straps so that they'll be able to eat on their own,
as well as ride a bicycle, or do work.
This boy was born with just a palm and no fingers.
I look at it this way:
These people are unable to find jobs and earn money due to their disability. But they still need to work for a living.
So they need prosthetic limbs that will allow them to perform labor.
Prosthetics are expensive, and unless they're practical they won't help the individual perform tasks.
Working class people can't afford practical prosthetics. That's why my metal limbs are in demand.
It feels good.
This is a third-generation model. It's made of iron, not stainless steel.
My hands get dirty and the gloves tear when I work, so I use this model.
I have a fourth-generation model, but it requires more maintenance, like cleaning and changing the gloves.
So this one is perfect for working.
The hooks can be switched out for various other tool attachments.
I can stick this hammer into the metal pipe on my arm. It's really sturdy and never comes loose.
I can even freely adjust the angle as needed. This allows me to do my work like so.
The production involves several processes. First, we need to understand the nature of the disability.
Next, we identify the movements needed for the customer's job.
Then we move on to the design phase.
I draw up a plan and figure out the best materials for it.
I used to make everything myself, but now I leave the actual production to my staff.
I normally focus on design,
but when we've got a big load of orders I'll help with cutting, too.
Everything here is handmade. Since we don't use machines we often have to make small adjustments as we go.
Eventually, after many of these small adjustments, we end up with something that fits perfectly.
We don't charge very much. We're in this to help people, not make money.
Hardly any of them have received financial aid from the government, or support from charities.
So the least we can do is charge them a low price.
Here we have a finished sample that's been through the design and measurement process.
- I've been working with my uncle since I started in 2009.
- My job is to build the limbs based on my uncle's instructions. Everyone's hands are different, so we customize each one.
- Apparently it hurts if we put urethane here.
I see, so the urethane there hurts, does it?
- My uncle has a strong spirit. He's truly a good person.
- He also really loves his research.
- He doesn't like to accept defeat either. My uncle finds ways to do things most others can't.
- At first, I helped out without putting much thought into it. Now, I know there are people who really need our help.
- The two of us have labored with all our hearts to help these people.
- These past few years have been a series of emotionally moving moments.
We do things the honest way.
I just turned 60 this year, but I'm still in good health. I think I have another 20 years left in me.
I feel like this is my mission in life. The fact that I can help others, despite being disabled myself,
makes me very happy. It's a certain kind of solace in itself.
It tells me that I'm a useful person and not just a cripple.
I couldn't be happier. I'm content.