Santa is working ahead this year.
Three children with missing limbs were thrilled to receive “life-changing” bionic arms as a Christmas present.
And it’s all thanks to The Big Hero 3 campaign, which is helping affected families raise the funds needed to purchase the game-changing device, which costs tens of thousands of dollars.
Zoey Hampton-Pigeon, 8, Finn Jarvis, 11, and Colette “Ettie” Baker, 8, who face the daily challenge of changing limbs, were beaming as they got the ‘Iron Man’ style accessories at a meeting in the Kingdom of Recently joined.
Alyse, Ettie’s mother, told how her daughter “screamed” when she found out she was in line for the so-called Hero Arm.
“Ettie has always shown so much love for her difference and loves to celebrate differences. However, as she is growing up, she is becoming more and more aware of how different she is,” she said.
“She’s becoming more aware of the stares when she’s out and sometimes she’s frustrated that she can’t do things the same way as everyone else – so having the chance to get a heroic arm is life-changing for Ettie in so many ways. way.
Three things her daughter is excited to do now – hold hands, tie her shoes and ride a bike without any help, the proud mother said.
Finn Jarvis, described as “the boss of the family”, was born without a hand after his mother was involved in a car accident during pregnancy.
“Finn is a lucky boy – he’s kind, fearless and incredibly bright,” said his father Ben.
“Finn has always been encouraged to see things as a challenge when his missing limbs have created a problem. He has embraced this and always conquered it, although from time to time he has to make compromises, where others did not want to”, he continued.
“Finn is very excited to be given this opportunity and to see where and how this will change his life.”
Meanwhile, Zoey’s dad Thomas revealed his little girl was “jumping up and down, screaming” upon receiving the good news.
The family learned about their daughter’s limb change at her 20-week scan.
“It was a very scary and emotional time, not knowing what to expect,” Thomas recalled.
“When Zoey was born, she saw a few specialists, but there’s no answer as to why this happened to Zoey, it’s just one of those things,” he said.
At eight, Zoey has become a “very happy, caring, confident and adventurous little girl”, active in her gymnastics club, taking swimming lessons and jumping on the trampoline, he said – but also shared that she is also “becoming more self-aware” and resistant to receiving help from others.
“Zoey struggles with some everyday tasks such as tying a shoelace, using a knife and fork, closing a zip and holding a tray,” he said – saying that as well as being able to do all of these, her next adventure will be mastering the art of skipping rope.
“A heroic arm will make such a massive difference to her independence,” said Sarah Lockey, who founded The Big Hero 3 campaign after her daughter lost a hand to meningitis shortly after her first birthday.
“She turned my world around and I promised her that one day I would give Tilly my hand back,” Lockey said.
“She now wears two hero wings every day – so I want to support others who are going through the same thing.
“I know first-hand how daunting it is to raise money for prosthetics and how daunting it can be – so the campaign helps take some of the stress out of crowdfunding for families.”
Lockey’s organization was able to raise about $50,000 from donors, including The Open Bionics Foundation. They then raised about another $25,000 between the three families.
The proud mother called the project “her favorite thing” – to bring children together and give them such a great opportunity.
“We hope to do another campaign next year if any donors who want to get involved to help are interested,” Lockey said.
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Image Source : nypost.com