For Jay Weston, the most tragic part of losing both of his hands is that it put him out of the classroom.

Weston, who teaches second grade at Summerdale School, lost his hands in two separate accidents — one in 2002 and one Aug. 12.

For the past 10 years, Weston has lived a normal life without his left hand, which he lost in a yard work accident involving a lawnmower. He drove to work, ate, wrote and taught with his right hand, using a hook on his left hand to help him get by.

But three months ago, everything changed when he lost his right hand in a chainsaw accident, and in addition to relearning how to perform many basic functions, Weston is homesick for the classroom.

“Teaching is what I need to do,” Weston said. “But without fingers, it’s impossible to do.”

He can no longer perform many simple tasks he previously took for granted.

“In second grade, we teach handwriting, so I have to demonstrate how to hold pencils,” he said. “Many of the subjects I teach require me to use a white board, and I can’t hold the dry-erase markers to do that. Our school system is getting more and more into technology, which is great, but it does require the teacher to manipulate keyboards, and I can’t type on a keyboard accurately. Essentially, I just can’t perform the functions of teaching a class.”

After his accident in August, Weston thought he would probably never return to the classroom. But his prosthetist told him there was one way — albeit an extremely expensive one — bionic arms.

“They can do virtually anything a human hand can do,” Weston said. “Each hand makes 13 different movements. Each finger has its own motor in it.”

Each of the arms is handmade and custom designed, and they work using the phantom limb sensations often associated with amputations, Weston said. 

“I can still feel all of my fingers,” he said. “To control it, there is a sensor built into each arm, and as I’m thinking, ‘open pointer finger’ or whatever, the sensor tells which motor to open.”

Because Weston has good muscle tone, his pair of arms would cost about $60,000 each, but some of the arms can cost more than $80,000. Weston’s insurance will pay for 70 percent of the cost, so he needs a total of about $40,000, plus the cost of a pair of hooks to perform manual labor.

With the bionic arms, Weston would be able to return to the classroom, which is the main reason he wants them. He said he could probably get by in day-to-day life with just hooks and his helpful wife, Angie, but he still feels like he is called to be with his second graders.

When other teachers and parents heard about the possibility of Weston returning to the classroom, they immediately formed a committee and started brainstorming about fundraising.

Led by Sheryl Boehm, a parent of one of Weston’s students last year, volunteers have planned “Helping Hands for Jay Weston,” a benefit that will take place Dec. 2 from noon to 5 p.m. at Oak Hollow Farm in Fairhope.

Bohem said Weston made a difference in her son’s life, and she wants to ensure that other children have the opportunity to have him as a teacher in the future.

“My son was kind of shy, and (Mr. Weston) just kind of brought him out of his shell,” Bohem said. “One thing my son told me about him was Mr. Weston taught him to believe in himself, and I just thought that was so sweet.”

Local businesses and residents have given donations for a silent auction and door prizes, like restaurant gift cards, jewelry, free rounds of golf, signed Alabama and Auburn footballs, a handmade quilt and hand-blown glass ornaments.

“Everything is brand new,” Weston said. “Nobody’s trying to get rid of garage sale stuff or anything.”

Weston emphasized that even though he knows people are kind and want to help him, his goal is not just to live a normal life, but to serve his students again.

“It’s not so much helping Jay Weston live a normal life as it is helping me teach kids,” Weston said. “I have been able to do a very good job with teaching. Most of my kids when they leave me are on a third grade or higher reading and math level, so I feel like what I accomplish with them is beneficial and gets them ready for the next grade. It’s what I was called to do and blessed with the gifts to do.”

The benefit was designed to be a fun family event, complete with music, free hot dogs, inflatables and many opportunities to buy Christmas gifts that will not only please friends and family, but will also help Weston get back to teaching.

Bohem said Weston has always helped all of the kids in his classes, but especially the ones who are less fortunate. He helped families buy shoes, clothes and lunches, and he got to know each of his students on an individual level, Bohem said.

“He’s very giving, and I think it’s great that we can give back to him,” she said.

Weston said he is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community and is optimistic that he will be able to return to his second graders next fall.

“Teachers and parents have just been phenomenal,” he said. “If it wasn’t for them, I’m sure I would have a gloomy outlook because I would probably be facing the rest of my life with hooks only to work with. It’s made a big, big difference in my outlook, because I can truly see the light at the end of the tunnel. I really, truly think it’s going to happen.”