Santa’s working ahead this year.
Three children with missing limbs were thrilled to receive “life-changing” bionic arms as an early Christmas present.
And it’s all thanks to The Big Hero 3 campaign, which assists affected families with the necessary fundraising to acquire the game-changing gear, 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 limb difference, were beaming as they picked up the ‘Iron Man’-esque accessories at a UK meetup recently.
Alyse, Ettie’s mother, recounted how her daughter “screamed” when she found out she was in line for a so-called Hero Arm.
“Ettie has always shown so much love for her difference and loves celebrating differences. However, as she is getting older, she is becoming increasingly aware of just how different she is,” she said.
“She’s becoming more conscious of the stares when out and is sometimes frustrated that she can’t do things the same as everyone else — so having the opportunity to receive a Hero Arm is life-changing for Ettie in so many ways.
Three things her daughter is excited to do now — handstands, tying her shoes and riding her bike without the need of any assists, the proud mom 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 her pregnancy.
“Finn is a happy go lucky boy — he is kind, fearless and extremely switched on,” his father Ben said.
“Finn has always been encouraged to see things as a challenge when his lack of limb has posed a problem. This he has always embraced and conquered, although at times having to compromise, where others have not had to,” he continued.
“Finn is so excited to be given this opportunity and to see where and how this is going to change his life.”
Meanwhile, Zoey’s father, Thomas, revealed that his little girl was “jumping up and down, squealing” upon receiving the good news.
The family found out about their daughter’s limb difference at her 20-week scan.
“It was a very scary and emotional time, not knowing what to expect,” Thomas remembered.
“When Zoey was born she saw several specialists but there are no answers about 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’s also “becoming more self-conscious” and resistant to receiving help from others.
“Zoey does struggle with some everyday tasks such as tying her laces, using a knife and fork, doing up a zip and carrying a tray,” he shared — saying that besides being able to do all that, her next adventure will be mastering the art of skipping rope.
“A hero arm will make such a massive difference to her independence,” said Sarah Lockey, who founded the The Big Hero 3 campaign after her own daughter lost a hand to meningitis shortly after her first birthday.
“It turned my world around and I promised one day I would get Tilly her hand back,” Lockey said.
“She now wears two hero arms daily — 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 scary it can be — so the campaign helps take some of the stress out of crowdfunding for families.”
Lockey’s organization was able to pull down about $50,000 from donors, including The Open Bionics Foundation. They then raised another $25,000 or so between the three families.
The proud mom called the project her “favorite thing” — to bring the children together and to be able to give them such a huge opportunity.
“We are hoping to do another campaign next year if any donors who want to get involved to help are interested,” Lockey said.
