Speak Loud

Today I’m talking about Jeff Soelberg, an amputee peer visitor, activist, and founder of the Jeff Giving a Hand Foundation. After losing three of his fingers in an industrial accident, Jeff has become a prominent advocate for amputees and how amputation affects all aspects of a person’s life. “Life happens when you adapt,” according to Jeff, and he believes in the resilience of the human spirit. On July 6th, 2016, Jeff was in an industrial accident that resulted in the loss of three of his fingers, along with tendon and nerve damage up to his elbow on his dominant hand. He had been shining a pump shaft when his glove got caught and his hand was pulled in to the wrist. Despite his shock, Jeff was able to instruct his coworkers and the on-site nurse on what to do and was soon taken to the hospital for surgery. Jeff underwent a total of 9 surgeries, 7 of them in the first 9 months. He recalls looking at his hand while waiting several hours in the hospital, knowing that his fingers weren’t there but not registeri