‘Iron Man’ gives hope to the disabled
Print Edition
Hearing loud popping or crackling noises from a workshop, residents in a small village in northeast China’s Jilin Province can tell when “Iron Man” starts working.
“Iron Man” Sun Jifa is a 65-year-old farmer in Yongji County in the city of Jilin. What makes him different is his self-made iron forearms.
Sun lost his forearms in an explosion when he was developing a fishing device in 1980. He could not afford to buy a prosthesis. His wife and mother had to help him put on clothes, brush his teeth, eat and even go to the bathroom.
“I felt like the sky had fallen,” Sun said. “But my wife was pregnant, and my forthcoming baby gave me the hope and courage to live on.” He decided to fabricate a pair of forearms by himself.
However, he was not content with the prosthetic device which only made it look like he had both his arms. As a farmer, he needed a functional device that would allow him to do manual labor jobs.
Sun set up a workshop to develop and manufacture prosthetic arms in 2007. After 30 years of development, the latest prosthetic is the fifth generation.
Sun’s invention was awarded a national patent last year. So far, up to 900 people in need of arms came to him for help.
His story has made him a local celebrity. In 2016, the Disabled Persons’ Federation in Jilin gave him around 30,000 yuan (US$4,355) to help with his work.
“He is the real ‘Iron Man’ in my heart,” Sun’s grandson says.
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