Army veteran Jose Jauregui was serving in the Middle East when his tank was hit with a rocket and exploded.
Jauregui suffered burns to 75 percent of his body, lost the use of his right hand, and lost most of his left hand in the attack.
Now, high school students in Modesto, California, are working to change Jauregui’s life by building him a prosthetic hand, KOVR-TV reports.
Beyer High School’s robotics team has taken on the challenge of creating a prosthetic hand for Jauregui to give him significantly increased ability to function.
If they are successful, it’s possible that Jauregui could even be able to play softball again after his devastating injury 13 years ago.
“It’s almost indescribably, being able to see that you’re making a change, not only for someone but hopefully to help change the community in the process,” freshman Danielle Haubrich told KOVR’s Carlos Correa.
The students used a 3D printer to come up with a prototype hand, and are in the process of adapting it to meet Jauregui’s needs.
“Going into it, we didn’t know much, it was hard to figure everything out, which is why we had to go through a second attempt,” senior Mark Wright said.
Jauregui has gone through some fittings and trials with the prosthetic, which have been somewhat successful even as the students continue to work on improvements.
“I think it would be amazing. This is just the beginning really,” Jauregui said. “It’s advancing so fast.”
