Brothers strengthen each other through electrical tragedy

Imagine waking up in a Denver hospital and finding that you no longer have hands.

That is exactly what happened to Samoana Matagi just before Christmas this past year. Sam was severely burned in an electrical accident while working as a lineman in a small Colorado town. Nearly 15,000 volts of unbridled electricity raged through Sam's body, leaving his hands irreparably damaged.

One of the first people contacted about this tragedy was Sam's older brother, Fatu Matagi. Fatu says that the phone call he received left him "feeling numb." He immediately trekked from his home in Bountiful to the hospital in Denver where both of Sam's deadened hands had been amputated at the mid forearm.

Fatu knew he could offer comfort that no one else could offer because in August 2008 he experienced a very similar accident that resulted in the amputation of his entire right arm.

"It was freakish," Fatu recalled, "It's like there's a dark cloud floating around you and everyone you know. I knew I just needed to get over there and do everything I could — do everything he did for me while I was in the hospital."

Sam says that having his brother with him helped him get through the toughest part of his ordeal.

"He knows everything I am going through," he said. "I was really missing him when he left Colorado to go home to Utah."

Sam was moved from Colorado to Utah — where he is much closer to family and friends — the first week of January.

"It is good to be back in Utah with family. It is good being close to everybody, that helps a lot with the mental aspects," Sam said. "It is especially good to be closer to the wisdom and understanding of the brother who has shared these experiences."

Fatu is glad he has been around to support his brother.

"I knew what he was going through because I've been through it," he said. "I'm still going through it. At the same time it really doesn't matter. All that really matters is that I'm here to help."

Many moments are very painful. Life for both Sam and Fatu has been forever changed. Yet somehow the heart-wrenching loss this family has experienced, now for a second time, has not taken the fight out of them. They still work hard to face each moment with a smile.