(CHEERFUL ACOUSTIC MUSIC) (WATER TRICKLES) - Life ` it's a wonderful thing. Look at that. What's that? I think I had it so good ` I was so athletic. I was so adventurous. I had everything goin' for me. And to have my knees chopped out from underneath me so to speak could be considered to be a fatal blow. But in reality, this has given me so much more than I could even conceive of before. Even though most people would look at it as a loss, I look at it as a gain ` something to be overcome, a challenge, a good thing. We don't have a long time here. We might as well have a good time enjoying it while we're here. Come on, boy. My name's Jake Gibbons. I'm a triple amputee, and I'm an industrial hemp farmer. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 (SLOW GUITAR MUSIC) - I was born and bred in Northern California. I had a huge passion to travel around the world and actually start to see it for myself instead of just reading about it or being told in lectures and whatnot what the whole world was all about. And the way that I actually made it all the way down to New Zealand was Antarctica. How do you get there? Well, I got pretty lucky. I was at a party, and I was chatting up a girl, as you do when you're in your 20s, and she says, 'Well, actually, I was working in Antarctica.' I says, 'Wait. Get out of here.' So she gave me quite literally an 0800 number that then I put in my wallet. I never did get her number. I didn't care about that number. (LAUGHS) My first five consecutive contracts were winters over at the South Pole, so I'd do 10 months on, two months off. Two months off were summertime here in New Zealand. Well, I just stayed here for those two months, and I just fell in love with the place. - It's a superfood. Oh yeah. (CHUCKLES) - Kathy, my wife ` I met her at the South Pole. - I love snow, so it was a good reason to go somewhere and get a job and get paid to work in snow. It was a win-win. - I've never even thought I would ever attempt to be a farmer in my life, so this is a whole new endeavour for us. It's up-and-coming. It's the newest` It's not just the newest thing. It's been around forever. And I'm hoping to get in on the ground floor here in New Zealand. Pay day. This is what all the effort's been for. That's a nice-looking little seed right there. That's what we're after. This may sound really crazy, but through that seed, eventually, I'm gonna grow enough fibre to make my own arm. I can grow my arm back. (LAUGHS) And I think that's fabulous, you know? I'll talk to you about my disability. It's... It's something that, you know, you never thought would happen to you or anything like that. It's going on 14 years now. (POIGNANT MUSIC) I essentially got caught out in quite a big storm up in Greenland. I had gone out on a Skidoo to take care of a few things. We knew the storm was coming, and it hit faster and harder than we thought it was going to, and I got caught out. - I was in New York. I had a knock at my door, and one of my bosses was there and told me that they are missing Jake. So that's where it started. - It was a total whiteout. I mean, you couldn't hardly see your hand in front of your face like that. I was out on a Skidoo ` that had frozen up, that no longer worked. So the first night, I hunkered down behind it. Within hypothermia, the worst thing you can do is fall asleep. You fall asleep, you're dead. So I just willed myself over the course of the next, well, three days and three nights to stay awake. - I didn't think he'd make it after the second day. And then once the storm abated, it just got really, really cold. There was a point where I thought I had to turn a corner and think, 'What if he's not back?' - Did I ever give up? No. Uh-uh. I gave it my whole heart. I gave it every bit of energy I had. (AIRCRAFT RUMBLES OVERHEAD) And I did hear an aircraft up above... and they broke off and just headed one specific direction, which was ` I knew at that point ` was to camp. So I was still walking at that point, headed in that direction. A couple hours later, I heard a sound, and it's a very familiar sound to me. We had an old Tucker Sno-Cat. I started jumping up and down, running towards it. It's amazing that they finally saw me, and it's` I'm still mates with those guys. And so we still have the banter of who found who, you know? (LAUGHS) - We got the call ` basically a fellow screaming at the height of his voice, saying, 'He's alive, he's alive, and he's walking!' And that was the best words I think I could've heard. - Because I was still walking, I was thinking, 'Uh, a few fingers, a few toes.' Obviously, it was a bit more severe than that. I lost the right hand straight away. That was just munted. Then my toes went, and then they would just move incrementally further up my foot. They were trying to save every bit of it they could, but as gangrene was setting in, and it just` It had been frozen bad enough that they couldn't save it. They cut off both my legs at that point in time, below the knee, and within, I'd say, a month to six weeks, I had my first set of legs, and I was actually back up and walking again. It's still mind-boggling at this point, actually. (INSECTS CHATTER) I'll put a little... OG balm on. It just helps treat the skin. Just a light little coat ` something my wife, Kathy, makes. I normally don't let people see me in my naked state, if you could call it that. I can't even explain 100% why, but it's just something that` It's very intimate to me. - He's got fortitude. It wasn't too surprising that he was able to get back on some pegs and start walking. It seemed, yeah, pretty normal. - So, this is just mainly an inner cushion ` helps protect my skin as well as gives me a lot more comfort, which then allows me to be more mobile. I won't lie to you. The first 18, 24, 36 months ` yeah, that was tough. I mean, I've always been the athletic guy, the intelligent guy, the guy that other people came to for help and that sort of thing. And then to suddenly, quite dramatically, be that guy that is now dependent on other people was a huge part of the transition for me like that. Depression, for me? Yeah, I will definitely put my hand up, to the point where I'd say I was even kind of suicidal. That took years to actually overcome and find peace within myself to carry on and realise that there is a new chapter in life. (CHEERFUL GUITAR MUSIC) My good friends will say to you, 'Ah, you know, Jake's not really handicapped or anything like that,' but to be fair, I think I've overcome quite a bit of that, and most of it's mental and in the heart. But if you take away my prosthetics, I'm a tripod crawling on the ground. So there's no way to argue that I'm not` have a handicap or anything like that, or a disability, if you will. 'How do you open and close the hook?' is the most widely asked question I get a lot of times. So it's controlled by industrial rubber bands right there. The number that I put on them is the amount of tension that then it will hold. That's connected to something that is akin to just a regular push bike cable. This cable then goes up, around the back... So what I need to do is flex my back in order to open the device, and to keep it open, I've gotta stay flexed. So... if I flex my back, I've gotta hold it like that, and then I can ease off wherever I want, depending on what I'm grabbing on to. (SERENE COUNTRY MUSIC) It's pretty simple, but to me, it's the most dependable, it's the most flexible. It doesn't have really any limitations in terms of what I can use it for versus some of the more high-tech myoelectric hands and that sort of thing. (SERENE MUSIC CONTINUES) Physically, I might be missing` my flippers might be dinged up a bit, but I'm perfectly capable of still being a positive, productive member of society. And that's how I feel about my disability, if you will. Oh, sweet. Gonna have a good hot shower tonight, that's for sure. (UPBEAT ACOUSTIC MUSIC) - So, like a lot of people have their favourite slippers or shoes or anything like that, I have some of my old favourite feet kicking around. These are a set of boots that were mine back in the day, but after I lost my bits, a lot of my mates signed it. They sent it to me just as a little reminder and a little bit, 'Hey, we're hoping you're gonna be doing OK.' Early on, someone asked me, like, 'Given the chance, would you rather have your legs back or your hand back or your arm back?' And back then I'd say, 'Oh yeah, you know, I could` 'At this point, I've learned how to walk around. 'I can live without my legs, but it would be nice to have the hand back.' And now I say, 'Well, this defines me. This makes me who I am now.' Here's an interesting one. Now I get to actually be a crab. Mm-hm. That's kind of cool. (CHUCKLES) If you can imagine anything in there, now I've got the full strength of my whole back behind me, I can break things with this. I could break bones with that. I've got a turret here. This device, lock it in... Stock of a shotgun fits perfectly in there. (IMITATES COCKING GUN) It's kind of cool. (CLEARS THROAT) Some people said it was too dangerous, but I know how to handle it. What do you reckon, huh? (LAUGHS) Hmm. This is my favourite hook. This I go to 95% of the time. It was designed after World War II. It's just the go-to. This thing does everything I really need it to do. It's tried and true and tested. Function over fashion every time. This is the go-to one. (ENGINE RUMBLES, SCOOP CREAKS) - Is there anything he can't do? Oh boy. Hmm. He can't not scuff the dishes. They all have hook marks on 'em. What can't you do, Jake? There's not much he can't do. (ENGINE HUMS) He's quite a driven guy, and he has a lot of forethought of what he'd like to do and where he's gonna go, and he makes that happen. (UPBEAT COUNTRY MUSIC) - I mean, I've tens of thousands of hours in a bulldozer on the ice. Dirt ` never touched it before. (LAUGHS) So, am I being challenged not only physically to get around and do these things and to operate the different equipment that I need to actually break the ground to then turn into an industrial hemp farm? Yeah, that's huge. I wouldn't brag that I'm as good as I used to be, but, hey, I get the job done. I'm happy with it. So far, I haven't broken anything. So (CHUCKLES) that's always a plus, you know? Yeah. Yeah, it's a bit different. Obviously, I don't have feet, so I can't necessarily feel that. So my sensory perception begins in... the hard socket. The accelerator is real soft. That's easy to do, you know? Whereas the brake has a lot more resistance, so I know but without looking down, even though I can't feel it necessarily at my feet, which one it's actually gonna be. (ENGINE DRONES) How do you end up in the hemp business being a triple amputee? Well, part of it has to do with phantom pain. There's two aspects to it ` there's phantom pain, and then there's phantom sensation. Let's talk about phantom sensation first. Right now, I'm wiggling fingers on both hands, and I'm wiggling the toes on both feet. My brain still thinks they're there. Wow. I mean, what is that? I think that actually really helped me to regain the ability to walk quite quickly again. It's still that heel strike and roll over and push off up with your toes. Even though it's physically not there, my brain is still thinking that, so the rest of me is still functioning normally. That's actually hard on the stop. The phantom pain is different. It's so graphic I can't even begin to tell you, except for the fact that, like, when the ball of my foot is being cut off by a razor blade, I can tell you the difference between a brand-new, clean razor blade and an old, rusty razor blade. How does that happen? I haven't a clue. It's definitely dissipated a little bit over time. I don't think it'll ever go away. Over in California where I come from, where I was hospitalised and went through this process, at that time, I could get a prescription for medicinal marijuana. That did it hands down. It's one reason that I've taken up the mantle and trying to actually grow industrial hemp. (CHEERFUL COUNTRY MUSIC) So, today's harvest day. This is the day we've been working towards all season. All right, guys. So, the plan is we'll just work one aisle at a time, starting in the front, working towards the back. We started November 10th when we first put the first seed into the ground, and we've been patiently awaiting the arrival of a mature seed. And the point of this is this little guy here. You can eat it, you can press it for oil. We, at the moment, are mostly working on just a good seed strain. So we just continue to harvest. Yeah, good one, Ruth. - Oh yeah. - Oh yeah, Ruth! (CHUCKLES) - Oh yeah! - And then select out of all of these hundred plants or so the best four or five, save that seed stock for next year, grow that again. There are four seasons, so we're just starting to learn now how much we didn't know when we first started. I like that sort of thing. Can you hear that? Yeah. That's good. That's good. - What drives him? (CHUCKLES) (JAKE LAUGHS OFF CAMERA) - Well, there you have it ` me. - Kathy, my wife. I work hard at letting her know that, 'Actually, if it wasn't for you, I still wouldn't even be here today.' - Well, sorry, dude. No pineapple. (LAUGHTER) Sorry, dude. - She's been there for me through this entire thing, tried and true. You couldn't ask for a better partner. Hey, toast, everybody. Thank you for a great harvest there. Appreciate it. - Thank you. This is awesome. (FAINT LAUGHTER) (STEADY ACOUSTIC MUSIC) - The other love of my life is my dog. The story of how he came into being in our life was one of the most important things that has helped me in my ability to overcome these challenges. (LAUGHS) Pretty exciting. When we first got back from being in the hospital over stateside, we had some really good mates here, family that we've kind of become whanau ` family ` together like that. We're sitting on the floor of our house, the ranch slider opens... This little fur ball gets tossed in. I look at my mate Hazel, who was a 12-year-old girl, running across our front lawn to the getaway car that Mom's driving, and I think I called out to Kathy. She says, 'Who's that?' And I says, 'I think we just got a dog.' (LAUGHS) I'd call him the super rescue dog ` no question about it. I was at a point in my life when I really needed something, and he was a pup, and he really needed somebody. And we've bonded over that. That also inspired me to go for a walk every day, to get out and kick the soccer ball round with him, to start learning how to throw left-handed. So in terms of my rehabilitation physically and that sort of thing, instrumental, without question. Best thing that ever happened to me. And now we're inseparable. We go everywhere together. If I wasn't married, he's good at picking up chicks too. (LAUGHS) (CLACK!) (PLEASANT GUITAR MUSIC) Life's pretty good here. In fact, it's so good, some of my rellies that I don't know that well have asked me, 'Oh, you know, where do you live in New Zealand?' I tell them Western Australia. (LAUGHS) I have been around this world more than 20 times. Oh, you gotta be kidding me. 'From pole to pole, I've been all over this place.' 'Sup, buddy. Wanna come in? (DOG BARKS NEARBY) (LAUGHS) Hey! Hey! Shh. 'I stayed here, and I think that that should sum it up.' This place is that special to me. It's the community that we have here. We all look after one another. The most common thing you'll hear people say here is, 'Yep, got a nice little piece of paradise here, don't we?' It's a special place. For me, that was really why I stayed here. (GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES) So you guys realise he picks on handicapped people all the time, huh? (LAUGHS) This is home. And I do mean home from here. And if you can find that in your own life, you're winning. That's the one. (SEEDS PATTER) So, about twice a day we come in, give her a wee little shake. The seeds that are fully mature are falling out at this point in time. You can hear 'em. (SEEDS CONTINUE TO PATTER) You can see there's just a few that are plants that are actually in bags that we've made ourselves. Those are the plants that we've selected to be` what we consider to be the best plants that we had. We'll use the rest of the seed for making crackers, for pressing oil, all sorts of other things. But the major side of this is the genetic side. The reason we put 'em in bags is so those seeds don't fall out on to the ground and get mixed in with everything else. I know that the market is already there. It's viable. People are beginning to realise that. This is the goal. This is what we've been after for the last 120 days or more, basically the whole season. And I'll tell you what, it is such a good feeling to go through all that hard work and whatnot and finally get to this part. And I'm ecstatic about it. This is fantastic. (GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC) Come on. You can have your hero moment. - Is it that cold? - Where would I be without her, you know? (LAUGHS) You could call me a broken man, and you could call me breaking ground. But no, I think that's just` It's for par for who I am. Thanks for a good day. I won't even begin to tell you how many times I have tripped and fallen down and all kinds of other things. But I was going back to the analogy that I was born, you know, at that point in time of having to learn to walk all over again as almost a 40-year-old. Uh-huh, uh-huh. What do you got? You want me to throw it, or you wanna chew on it? It's slowed me down enough to actually smell the roses and appreciate what I do have instead of focusing on what I have lost. (CHUCKLES) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - There's so many people that we've met and that have helped us through so much and got us on our feet, and I think he wants to give that back. Been through a lot together ` laughter and tears and pushing each other. And, yeah, I think it's made us a lot closer. - Ooh, a kiss too. (CHUCKLES) 'What would I tell myself if I was back in the dark days?' I would tell myself the same thing I was telling myself at that time ` 'Keep chipping away one step at a time.' And one thing I try to tell other people that I've met that are newly amputated and whatnot ` 'Don't worry. It gets better.' And that's the truth. It really does. You will find a better way. You will find peace and joy in your heart if you attempt. But first, you've gotta try.