Seven-year-old girl born with only one fully formed hand can finally eat ice cream and brush her own hair thanks to £18,000 bionic ‘hero’ arm
A seven-year-old girl can finally brush her own hair after becoming the youngest girl in Britain to receive a bionic ‘hero arm’.
Caitlin Hutson was born with only one fully formed hand due to a rare congenital condition.
Her underdeveloped left arm has five shortened fingers at the tip, but no bones.
Throughout her early childhood, Caitlin had trouble holding cutlery and a tray at school.
Her mother, Maria Hutson, 42, said Caitlin pushed through until this year with a smile on her face, but a recent community fundraiser has changed her life.
Caitlin, 7, is already enjoying her newfound skills, from eating ice cream to giving her friends a high five when she goes back to school
Last week she was paid £18,000 for a bionic arm, and Maria said her daughter is already bursting with newfound confidence.
Caitlin is already enjoying her new skills, like eating ice cream, and is eagerly looking forward to giving her friends a high five.
Maria from Wymondham, Norfolk, said: ‘In the space of 24 hours, her confidence has grown tremendously.
Caitlin parades around the garden and dances with it – as a parent it’s beautiful to watch. We are so grateful to everyone who made this dream a reality.”
In 2016, Caitlin was born with only one fully formed hand due to a rare congenital condition. Her underdeveloped left arm has five shortened fingers on the end but no bones, making basic tasks incredibly difficult for the child
Caitlin was born with an exceptionally rare condition called symbrachydactyly, which affects only one in every 32,000 births.
The congenital hand condition usually causes short fingers that are sometimes webbed and fused.
According to children’s organization Reach, in the most severe cases, all fingers may be missing and replaced by small pieces of skin.
This has made it difficult for Caitlin to perform daily tasks such as brushing her hair.
But Maria, along with Caitlin’s father Terry, 45, found a high-tech, but very expensive solution: a bionic arm.
They were on a waiting list for a bionic ‘hero’ arm for Caitlin and were invited to an appointment at Open Bionics in Bristol in December last year.
Caitlin Hutson is pictured with her parents Mary, 42, and Terry, 45, and her brother Benjamin, 5, at home in Norfolk
The company makes low-cost 3D-printed bionic arms for amputees that are fully functional and allow people to grab, squeeze, and give a high-five.
Maria, a swimming teacher, says: ‘Last year we wrote down her name and to our surprise it went quite quickly.
But a bionic ‘hero’ arm costs over £13,000 and even more to fit it, so Caitlin’s parents started a GoFundMe.
Maria added, “This year we held numerous cake sales and a superhero day at Caitlin’s school, and businesses and individuals have shown their support.
“We are totally overwhelmed by people’s generosity and kindness.”
In total, Caitlin’s family raised £18.5k, which was enough to provide the bionic ‘hero’ arm with an extended warranty
The bionic ‘hero’ arm is fully functional and allows people to grab, squeeze and give a high-five. Caitlin can even brush her hair with it
In total, Caitlin’s family raised £18.5,000, which was enough to provide the arm with an extended warranty.
This means it can be replaced as she continues to grow, as the arm will be covered for the next five years.
Since the fitting, Caitlin quickly got used to the feel of the technology and is enjoying life with her new ‘hero arm’.
Caitlin said, “Life is good with my new arm. Eating is easy and I love being able to brush my hair.
“I’m excited to go back to school. I think I’m going to get a lot of high fives from my friends.”
Maria said they are extremely proud of Caitlin and said she is an example of how disabilities don’t hold people back.
“Little things that people like you and me never think about are very important to her,” she said.
‘For the first time, she can effortlessly use cutlery and brush her hair like any other seven-year-old girl.
“It’s a joy to watch her eat an ice cream because she’s always made a good mess of it so far.
“It has given her the independence she needs for later life, which has brought her self-confidence to the world for good.
“It will also show that other people’s disabilities don’t always have to hold you back, and that she can do everything anyone can do, and more.
Bionic arms are normally only available to kids eight and older, but Caitlin qualified for her first hand at age six.
Seven-year-old Louie Morgan-Kemp from Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, also recently got an Ironman-themed ‘hero arm’.
Sammy Payne, co-founder of Open Bionics, said, “Caitlin will be our youngest user yet.
“Kids use their Hero Arms to ride their bikes, make breakfast, carry their bags to school, and generally do two-handed tasks.
“Kids love the Hero Arm because they can change the covers and change the look of their bionic arm.
“One day they can wear their favorite color, the next day they can swap it out and be Iron Man. Their bionic arm is completely unique, just like them.’