Hand Amputee Reinvents Career in Spite of Bad Economy

Watch recent television coverage of JR Litehiser's story: 

http://www.armdynamics.com/pages/jr-litehiser

Imagine being hard at work one moment and engulfed in flames the next. That’s what happened to JR Litehiser, a decorative concrete contractor from Bend, Oregon.  A deadly chemical explosion occurred while he was finishing a floor, resulting in second and third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body, and the amputation of his right hand.  JR was in a coma for eight weeks, had months of dialysis, endured more than 20 surgeries, and sought out specialized upper extremity prosthetics.   

Life became even more challenging for JR when he returned home several months after the accident and learned that his wife wanted a divorce. He became a single parent to his 7-year-old son Owen.  A few months later, while blogging online about his injury and recovery, JR was reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Gillian.  A beautiful new family was born:  JR, Gillian, Brendan (13), Owen (8), Alex (8) and Olivia (6 months).  

The financial and occupational toll for JR has been staggering----he had no health insurance and was unable to work for almost two years.  By then, the national economy was bottoming out, and to make matters worse, JR could not continue working in decorative concrete due to the physical demands. It would have been easy to lose hope but instead, JR reinvented his career and developed three distinct roles: insurance agent, construction materials distributor, and aspiring actor and motivational speaker.

In spite of facing tremendous losses, JR still finds plenty of reasons to laugh, relying on his sense of humor as a coping mechanism and to help make life more fun. His right arm is now fit with a myoelectric prosthetic hand that he describes as “awesome,” and his left arm is emblazoned with a multi-colored tattoo of a man on fire. “I enjoy making jokes about being an arm amputee,” says JR with a smile. 

Please let me know if you would like to talk with JR about his amazing story.  We have high-resolution photos and HD b-roll available of JR's story.

To talk with JR about his story contact Carol Sorrels, 405.250.8555, csorrels@armdynamics.com.  High resolution photographs and HD b-roll of JR are available.

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