'I was born without my left hand - now I'm raising funds for a bionic Hero Arm'
Most of us don’t think twice about picking up a glass and drinking from it. Lexi Medforth is looking forward to the day when she can say the same. “It sounds really silly but it’s something that has stuck in her mind,” says the 12-year-old’s mum Becki.
Lexi was born with a limb difference caused by amniotic band syndrome, a rare condition where fibrous bands in the womb restricted the growth of her left arm. Her parents found out during pregnancy that their baby would be missing her left hand and after her birth, Lexi spent the first five weeks of life in a special care unit at York Hospital.
Although they were worried about how she would manage, Becki says her daughter “has grown into a strong and inspiring young girl who approaches life with courage and creativity”. Over the last decade, Lexi, who lives in Pocklington, near York, has had various prosthetics, which have been a great help for her practically.
Now, she and her family are raising funds to get her a Hero Arm, a multi-grip prosthetic arm with “empowering aesthetics”, changeable to match mood and personality. The company behind the advanced bionic arms says a lot of its technology including the Hero Arm is now available from the NHS.
But with uncertainty over how long it could be before Lexi would reach the top of the waiting list, the family is instead working towards raising £20,000 to get Lexi a Hero Arm privately, supported by The Open Bionics Foundation. Lexi’s current prosthetic hand only has an open and close function. With the Hero Arm, each digit moves.
“It’s a multi-grip system so it means that she will be able to do more things than what she can currently do now,” Becki says. “And (she will) be able to do them easier and better than she does now. She will be able to grip things better, open things, and just have more independence. Stuff that we just take for granted and wouldn’t even think about.” Picking up a glass to drink from is just one example. Lexi has seen a video of someone with a Hero Arm doing just that “and it’s something she talks about all the time,” Becki says.
Lexi says the bionic prosthetic arm will also give her a boost of confidence as she goes into her teenage years. “She wants people to look at her and think she looks cool rather than look at her in pity that she only has one hand,” Becki says. "She wants people to look at her in admiration and think ‘oh wow’ rather than feeling sorry for her.”
A fundraising page for Lexi's Hero Arm fund has already generated nearly £8,000. Family and friends are hoping to add more to the total over the coming months with a gym team event, bake sale, leg wax and a pig race night this coming Saturday at Pocklington Football Club.
Details of further events will be announced on the Hand It To Lexi Facebook page. To donate to Lexi’s cause, visit gofund.me/3a64d1f4