John Thompson’s life completely changed in just a few seconds. The 18-year-old lost both his arms above the elbows while working on a farm. He miraculously survived, and doctors successfully reattached his limbs.

What followed was a sudden rise to fame, as everyone wanted to know more about the boy who beat the odds. Although the teenager hated the spotlight, he was determined to make a change.

He became a public speaker who inspired thousands of people across the country to prioritize safety when working with machinery.

Background

In 1992, John Wayne Thompson was an 18-year-old high school senior living in Hurdsfield, North Dakota. He was the youngest of three siblings and the only one still residing with his parents, Larry and Karen.

Thompson was a very shy teenager who had a small circle of friends and rarely socialized with his classmates. Instead of going to the nearby town of Bowdon on weekends, he preferred to help out on the family farm.

Thompson was a talented singer who was considering a music career, but he was also interested in aviation. As graduation day approached, he looked forward to enrolling in college and continuing his education.

The accident

On Saturday, January 11th, 1992, Thompson woke up late but knew he had work to do around the farm. His parents had left for Bismarck that morning and instructed him to unload barley from a truck when he got up.

The unloading involved the use of an auger powered by a tractor engine. A power takeoff shaft connected the two. Thompson turned the machine on, and the unloading process began. Having nothing else to do but monitor the barley, he started playing with his dog Tuffy.

The ground was icy on this January morning, causing Thompson to slip and fall directly into the power takeoff. The teenager lost consciousness, but Tuffy woke him up.

He found himself lying on his left side. As he looked to the right, he couldn’t see his arm. At first, he thought it was broken, so Thompson tried to prop himself up with his left arm. This was the moment when he discovered both of his arms were gone.

He leaned against the tractor tire and got on his feet. Thinking he was dreaming, Thompson looked at where his arms once were and screamed. But no one could hear him.

The teenager was home alone, and their closest neighbors were miles away. Thompson’s only option was to somehow get to his house and call for help.

He managed to walk 100 yards and tried to enter the house through the sliding glass door, but it didn’t work. Then he went to the front door, knelt down, and turned the doorknob using his teeth.

Once inside, he stumbled into the room his parents used as an office and dialed a friend’s number using his nose. The line was busy, so Thompson called his cousin Tammy. This time, he used a pencil to dial the number.

Since Hurdsfield didn’t have an ambulance crew, Tammy reached out to her stepmother, who was in Bowdon. An ambulance was on its way to Thompson’s house, along with Tammy and her mother.

Meanwhile, Thompson got into the bathtub because he was worried he would ruin the carpets in the home with his blood.

By the time he arrived at the emergency room, Thompson was still conscious and talking to the medical staff. He asked his cousin whether the tractor was still running back at the farm, hoping someone remembered to shut it off.

As he lay on the table, he saw the medical staff carrying a trash bag with his arms inside it. Soon, he was on a plane to Minneapolis, where he was scheduled for surgery.

Thompson kept his spirits up by cracking jokes, and since this was his first plane trip ever, the teenager wanted to be as close to the window as possible.

A complicated surgery

When Thompson arrived at North Memorial Hospital, Dr. Allen Van Beek, an experienced surgeon, was prepared for a complicated operation of reattaching the teen’s arms. The six-hour microsurgery involved reconnecting major blood vessels and performing skin grafts.

After the surgery, Thompson spent weeks in a coma while doctors monitored him for any signs of infection. He received multiple blood transfusions because the teen experienced massive blood loss.

When he finally woke up, Thompson was able to move his elbows a bit but had no sensation in his hands. However, on February 7th, 1992, he managed to lift his arms at a news conference.

By that time, the story of his bravery and resilience was known across the country, and everyone wanted to know more about this teenager from North Dakota.

The fame

During Thompson’s stay at the hospital, he received a visit from Emilio Estevez, a well-known actor and brother of Charlie Sheen. Other celebrities also called the hospital to wish him a speedy recovery.

Additionally, he received tapes and T-shirts from his favorite band, Guns N’ Roses. Every day, hundreds of letters arrived from all around the world, all addressed to Thompson. People were also raising money for his medical bills.

By late February 1992, Thompson had returned home to Hurdsfield, and he continued his physical rehabilitation in North Dakota. He also underwent additional surgery to reconstruct his left bicep by using muscle from his back, but overall, he was doing really well.

Thompson’s graduation was in May 1992, and the media reporters from several TV stations, as well as photographers, arrived in Bowdon to cover the event.

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant media attention, Thompson rushed into the library as soon as he saw the cameras. A few days later, the story about Thompson’s graduation was published in People magazine.

During the summer, several colleges reached out to him with scholarship offers. Ultimately, he enrolled at the University of Mary in Bismarck, located 85 miles from his home in Hurdsfield.

Before the start of his first semester, he learned how to drive with a specially designed steering wheel and was a bit nervous about going to college with a disability.

Thompson successfully balanced his classes while also speaking publicly about the importance of staying safe while working on a farm.

In July 1993, Thompson was invited to visit the White House and meet President Bill Clinton. Following this, he helped First Lady Hilary Clinton to promote ambulance access to residents of rural areas.

He also received odd requests from strangers who believed he could heal them with his touch.

His sudden rise to fame attracted multiple stalkers who followed him everywhere. Thompson had to contact local law enforcement each time he made a public appearance at an event.

Unfortunately, Thompson dropped out during his second year at the university to focus on his career as a motivational speaker. He toured across the United States and even had the honor of singing the National Anthem at the Metrodome before a Minnesota Twins game.

The teen was so busy during this time that he had to decline an invitation from Oprah Winfrey to appear as a guest on her show. But as the months passed, the story of a teenager who survived losing both arms slowly faded away from the headlines.

Thompson welcomed the end of the media frenzy and shifted his focus to public speaking. He also started working on a book called Home in One Piece, which was published in 2001.

Aftermath

Thompson worked as a real estate agent for some time, but he faced several challenges due to his disability.

For example, he was unable to unlock the houses he was showing to clients on his own because holding the keys in his hand was impossible.

Also, Thompson couldn’t receive paychecks because of the disability payments. As a result, Thompson decided to quit his job.

Thompson states he can’t remember all the significant events, including meeting the Clintons, that occurred shortly after the accident. Doctors have explained that his memory loss is due to the massive blood loss he experienced.

He owns an apartment in Minneapolis and a house in Minot, which he has begun remodeling by himself. While Thompson is in a good place right now, he has faced years and years of battling depression.

He was very open about his struggles, even in the late 1990s during his motivational talks. Today, he focuses on working out and singing in his free time.

The recovery process was challenging, but Thompson was determined to heal. He can now move his arms with a limited range of motion since he can’t fully straighten them.

Furthermore, his hands can’t open or close on their own, so they remain curled up. When he attempts to open his hands manually, the skin on them rips up.

Even though he could improve his grip with the latest prosthetics, Thompson says he is used to doing things his way. His bravery and quick thinking got him the help he needed on that day in January 1992, and he slowly but surely adjusted to his new life.