JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Most people take for granted the simple tasks of picking up a sheet of paper or a water bottle, but not Sharod Edwards.
In 2005 while serving in Iraq with the Navy, Edwards suffered a combat-related injury on Christmas Day. Doctors had to amputate his right arm below the elbow six months later.
"I wanted to fight the whole thing of being amputated, and I really thought I didn't have to," Edwards said. "It was hard to grasp that concept."
But now, more than six years later, he has a new hand -- a bionic hand that's the first of its kind in the U.S. It's known as a Michaelangelo hand, and Edwards says it's changed his life.
"It's hard when you have to really depend on someone else to help you throughout your day," Edwards said. "I mean, I can cut my own steak now. I can get dressed by myself now."
Before, everyday tasks were a challenge for Edwards.
"You drop that plate and, I mean, I don't know if it's ever happened to you, but it's embarrassing even though you know it's physically hard for you to do it, but no one else realizes that," Edwards said.
"There's a lot of tasks we take for granted -- simply opening a tube of toothpaste or changing the shift in your car," said Geoffrey Hemmen, a licensed prosthetist.
That's why doctors have been working with Edwards to give him this new hand, one they say he will eventually be able to play football with.
The Michelangelo hand has five articulating digits and features multiple grip functions that allow Edwards to flex the muscles in his residual limb to master everyday activities.
"It's very uplifting," Edwards said. "At the end of the day, you take home a lot more than a paycheck."
Edwards said a lot has changed since he lost his limb, and he has a message for others in the same situation.
"Don't let that injury count you out of anything," he said. "There is hope out there."