Schools

Jackson Avenue Teacher Overcoming Challenge After Losing Hand

Physical education teacher Suzanne Vitale finds new life with robotic hand.

On her way to visit her uncle after Superstorm Sandy hit, Suzanne Vitale was involved in a mid-morning automobile accident where her left hand received the brunt of the trauma after her car flipped over onto its side, dragging her exposed hand through a broken window.

"It slid for about 15 feet. I don't know what caused it to slide. I can tell this story 5,000 times and never get sick of it," Vitale said in a Newsday interview.

She was treated for her injuries at Winthrop-University Hospital where she underwent nine surgeries over the next nine weeks, ultimately choosing to have the hand amputated.

Currently on leave as a physical education instructor, Vitale was fitted with a robotic hand that is capable of gripping, typing and even holding a coffee mug. She is planning on returning to teaching in June at the school.

"They asked me if I could crush a brick," she said of the third graders, who have written her numerous get well letters. "One kid asked me if I hit a wall would it break. So I took it off," she said. "And we did show and tell."


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