Vince Verges wasn't sure if he would be able to wiggle or grip with fingers on his left hand ever again.

Verges says, "There were a lot of tears. It took a lot of adjustment from a very active lifestyle and a career I thought was going to carry on for a while"

All 5 fingers on his left hand were severed off when he was ejected from a Navy EA-6B during a training mission in 1992. And today he can give the perfect high five.

Verges says, "I was very happy to have the prosthetics that I did get because they were cutting edge at the time. They were just unfortunately not very functional. I just took it for granted that I would go the rest of my life making due with just the one hand."

He is one of only 50 people in the world and the first person in the Southeast to receive the new technology called "Prodigits"

Eric Ramcharran, CPO LPO with Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics says,
"It's a myoelectically controlled prosthetic. Myoelectics are that signals that are sent from the muscles to the electrodes. We have electrodes that send to a processor basically just like a computer. The computer takes that impulse and sends it to the digits."

Each digit provides natural movement and control that has never been possible for partial hand amputees before.

Giving him back the freedom and ability he lost 18 years ago and a new grip on life.

Verges says, "18 years, you get wire or programmed to do things a certain way.. My wife had seen a video of one of the first users washing dishes and she said "AH! you can wash dishes now!""

This is his second week with the prosthetic and he say so far he's been through the buffet line 2 times and carried his own plate. He says it's quite the conversation starter at holiday parties.