Hi! As many of you know, my son, Shane, was born missing his left arm from just below his elbow. The condition is called amniotic band syndrome. About a month ago, I saw a post on Facebook for a company called Open Bionics. They’re the creators of the Hero Arm. When I showed it to Shane, he said he wished he could have an arm like that because the fingers actually move like fingers. I contacted them and within days, we had a video intake appointment with Dan, who makes the Hero Arm prosthetics. Much to my surprise, we learned this week that insurance is covering the arm 100%!!!
Shane has had two other prosthetics, but there were issues. With both, he was little and constantly having growth spurts, so he outgrew them quickly. The other issue was that neither of the prosthetics were practical or functional. One had a stationary hand with a thumb that sort of grasped, and the other had a hook that opened and closed. Other than carrying light items or holding a paper down on his desk while he wrote, they didn’t really improve his life in any way. The Hero Arm works much differently. I’ll add a link or you can look it up, but it’s really cool! Sensors are attached inside the arm and line up with Shane’s muscles, which he uses to activate the sensors to make the hand and fingers do different things. It’s also a little like a game controller in that you can configure the sensors to do different hand motions, like a thumbs up. It’s flexible inside the arm, so it will grow with him for a while.
While the cost of the arm itself is covered by insurance, I need help getting us there. It’s in Manhattan, which is about 5 hours away from us. We will need to take two separate trips. The first trip is a series of appointments spread out over three days. This is when they will scan his arm, x-ray him, and do precise measurements. He’ll also have the opportunity to practice with an occupational therapist with the arms they already have made. He’ll get to spend time customizing his arm as well, which is something he’s looking forward to. About a month later, we will go back to pick up the arm that they will custom make for him. I no longer have a vehicle, so I’ll have to rent a car. We’ll also need to stay in a hotel, which isn’t cheap in NYC! So I’m asking for your help to cover the cost of a car rental and hotel stay for both trips over. Anything you can donate is so, SO appreciated! And if you can’t donate, I understand; but please share! Thank you so much in advance, from the bottom of my heart and Shane’s.
