In a video for The Players Tribune, former Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi revealed that he had to have his left hand amputated following an ATV accident back in April 2017 that cut his NFL career tragically short.
“Making a turn—I take the turn too sharply. And before I know it, my ATV loses control. The next thing I feel is something just feels like an explosion just went off in my hand. I’m in shock, so I don’t feel it. But I’m very aware of what’s going on, just because there’s blood everywhere.
Doctors a at the University of Georgia tried to save Massaquoi’s hand but unfortunately Massaquoi said that eventually he lost all his fingers except his thumb.
Over time Massaquoi says he’s come to terms with losing his hand and his NFL career but is still thankful that he’s still alive.
It’s a part of me that will never come back, so there’s no way that I can deny it. So one of the best quotes that I had was, whenever you’re dealing with some type of trauma, give yourself a chance to actually feel it, deal with it, so that you can move on from it. I went through denial, I went through fear of what was going to come, and it just gives you a perspective of how precious life is, how fast things can change. You go from joy-riding to being in a helicopter to find out your hand is going to be amputated.”
I guess when I look at my hand, I’m just thankful,” he noted. “I’m thankful for the process. I’m thankful for the little things in life. I’m thankful for family, for friendship, thankful for real things.”
Former @NFL and @UGAFootball wide receiver @IronMassaquoi made his career catching a ball.
Last April, his left hand was amputated.
This is the first time he's told his story: https://t.co/cNm7qAddud pic.twitter.com/mecccJ6sZN
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 12, 2018
Good to see that Massaquoi has a good head on his shoulders despite everything that’s happened to him.
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