China Man Cuts Off Hand To Cure Internet Addiction

Doctors in China said that a teenager cut his hand off in order to cure himself of Internet addiction.

The 19-year-old man, of Nantong, Jiangsu, was hospitalized after he left a note for his mother, saying not to worry that he would be gone for a little while and would be back.

According to police, the man, identified only as “Little Wang,” left his home around 1 a.m. with a kitchen knife. He walked to a park bench and proceeded to cut his hand off at the wrist. Once done, Little Wang hailed a cab, leaving the hand on the ground. The taxi took him to the nearest hospital, where doctors were able to reattach the hand after police had recovered it.

Doctors are unsure if he’ll be able to use his hand fully, and his teachers are saying the incident happened because the man was trying to rid himself of the addiction to the Internet. Chinese news outlets broadcast images of the bloody park bench where the hand was amputated.

His mother told reporters, “We cannot accept what has happened. It was completely out of the blue. He was a smart boy.”