Iceland, 1998. A young electrician – only 26 – is assigned to make repairs on a high-voltage line. When he reaches the top of the utility pole, 25 feet in the air, Gundmundur Felix Gretarsson is hit by an 11,000-volt shock. Both of his hands are instantaneously burnt off, and he is hurled to the ground. A terrible nightmare begins. Lost in a coma for three months, all he can remember is hallucinations and vain efforts to communicate to his family and friends that he was still alive. Doctors were trying to save his life, and he underwent several operations. When he awoke, both arms had been amputated.

But he was so happy to be alive, he wept with relief. He could have lost much more than his arms