'Thank you for 35 years of companionship': Chinese model Jessica Du loses left hand in accident but surprisingly optimistic

Losing a limb must be a harrowing experience, but Chinese model Jessica Du remains upbeat despite having to undergo that trauma.

The 35-year-old shared that she had to get her left hand amputated after an accident in an Instagram post on Dec 28, adding: "Although it's a sad thing, I will soon be able to install a bionic prosthetic arm and a human-brain interface to experience human-machine symbiosis and live a cyborg life.

"It also makes me feel that the future is promising!"

Accompanying it were photos of herself post-surgery with a shaved head and pre-surgery photos which show her hand bandaged.

Jessica cheekily wrote in one of the photos: "Thank you for 35 years of companionship" while kissing her hand.

The last photo in the series shows her arm with the amputated part censored.

Though Jessica did not disclose the details of the accident, the model — who has a penchant for skydiving, skiing and freediving — shared that her accident was unrelated to adventure sports.

She added that she was currently waiting for her third surgery and would share her story when she is ready.

'Human willpower and adaptability'

Jessica admitted that she initially had trouble accepting the loss of her hand and even contemplated death.

As a testament to "human willpower and adaptability" however, she added: "On the fifth day after the amputation surgery, I had completely accepted it, and started looking forward to the unknown after reading up on bionic technology."

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However, Jessica is still struggling with phantom limb pain, a sensation that affects up to 79.9 per cent of amputees.

"Although my hand is gone, I can still feel its presence. The pain feels like each finger is being pricked with needles," she added.

Jessica's followers were shocked by the news but sent their well wishes.

"Please get through this smoothly and recover quickly so you can go back to being such a badass girl who is so beautiful and powerful," a comment on her Instagram post read.

Another read: "Your positivity is [fire emoji]. Get well soon!"

"You've reached cyberpunk before anybody else," a netizen commented.

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drimac@asiaone.com