London - When their daughter was born without fingers on her left hand, David and Zania Fraser feared her disability would cast a shadow over her life.
And as soon as five-year-old Hayley started school her self-consciousness was apparent – to the extent she would hide her left arm from her new friends.
But now her embarrassment has turned to pride after she became the first child in Britain to receive an ultra-cheap prosthetic made on a 3D printer.
Unlike conventional versions, the £50 (about R900) hands are deliberately bold and colourful to help make disabled children proud of being different.
“It was all her dreams come true,” said Mr Fraser, 36. ‘”t’s the little things – she can hold her teddy, peel a banana and even paint her nails now. It has made a real difference to her – the philosophy behind the charity is amazing.
“Children pick their own designs and colours, and they don’t look like you would expect a prosthetic to look. They make the kids feel really special, rather than being something to be embarrassed about.”
Hayley was born with symbrachydactyly – a congenital abnormality which left her with just a stump instead of fingers. Doctors only offered the family an operation to transplant a toe to her hand.
“We didn’t make a big deal out of it, but if she would stand for a photograph, she would stand with her other hand over it, or behind her back,” said her father, an Inverness-based electrical contractor.
“We always said it’s just part of her but there was a stage when she was going to nursery and kids ask questions.”
The family found out about the not-for-profit group E-Nable, which introduced them to University of Wisconsin engineer Frankie Flood.
The Frasers made a plaster cast of Hayley’s arm and sent it to Professor Flood.
He printed the parts on a 3D printer and six weeks later a pink and purple bionic arm arrived in the post. The simple device is controlled by the wrist and wiring. E-Nable has made around 40 superhero-style hands since it was formed a year ago. Some have flashing lights, others claws.
Melina Brown, a volunteer at the charity, said: “When we started it was more about function, but now it is as much about self-esteem.
“The hands are cool, so the kids go from being the one who maybe has an issue at school, to suddenly having a cool superhero arm that everybody wants.”
The charity was formed by US prop designer Ivan Owen and South African carpenter Richard van As, who lost his fingers in a mechanical saw. - Daily Mail