Children Born Without Arms Raise Funds for 6 Bionic Arms!
13th June 2024
13th June 2024
THEY DID IT! Three children born without arms came together to crowdfund the remaining funds needed for their custom bionic arms, as part of our Big Hero 3 USA campaign. This year the project was backed by the incredible charity the Lucky Fin Project and the Open Bionics Foundation who donated half of the funds needed for the three bionic arms. The families then joined forces and crowdfunded for the remaining funds needed by holding bake sales, seeking local business support, and getting regional news help!
But that’s not all – shortly after the fast completion of the USA fundraise, the Big Hero 3 UK team also hit their fundraising target, which means all 6 children who were born without arms will shortly be wearing their new Hero Arms!
The US team reached their funding goal in less than a month, and had an absolute blast on the way.
Here are some of the messages the families have shared on their Go Fund Me page thanking everyone for donating and supporting the campaign:
“On behalf of Josiah, we would like to thank everyone’s continued love and support! This is such a very exciting time for us all. Special thanks to Kimberly From Sweet Buffalo for helping us spread the word and for her kindness, generosity and support! And also thank you to WIVB segment “Most Buffalo” for having us as guest! We couldn’t have done this and have gotten this far without you all.”
“Thank you to everyone that has supported this campaign! We are so overwhelmed with the amount of support we all have received so far! We are greatly appreciative to those that have donated, shared, and are helping spread awareness for these kiddos!”
“Skyliana would like to thank everyone who has liked, shared, and donated to the campaign! The excitement is continuing to build as the days go on! We appreciate your kindness and generosity!”
Check out Skyliana talking about her old prosthetic in the news recently.
“Wow!
We did it! The campaign goal has been met and we couldn’t have done it without your love and support! From the bottom of our hearts to the depths of the universe, thank you for making this happen for Skyliana, Keegan, and Josiah!!! We will forever be grateful! Skyli is already so excited!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!!!!!”
The Big Hero 3 campaign is spearheaded by our fundraising expert Sarah Lockey who previously fundraised for Meningitis Now. Sarah said the campaign was incredibly exciting and she can’t wait to support the next three children in need! If you’d like Sarah’s help to fundraise for your Hero Arm, please sign up here.
Why did the children want Hero Arms? There’s no stopping Skyliana, the sky’s the limit, but she wanted the Hero Arm to make two-handed activities a bit easier, like carrying books and a bag, or grip small objects with both hands. Very active Josiah wants a Hero Arm to be able to ride his bike with more confidence. Josiah has worn previous prosthetic solutions but found them to be too heavy which meant he couldn’t wear them for long periods of time. Adventurous Keegan wants a Hero Arm to fuel his independence, he gets frustrated when he can’t do the small things, so with the Hero Arm he wants to pursue his passion for cooking, arts and crafts, and getting dressed.
All three families will be attending the Lucky Fin Project annual weekend, where the children will be fitted with their custom Hero Arms.
The Hero Arms are now being 3D printed and built ready for them to wear them at the end of July.
Are you a parent who would like funding support to reach your goal of getting a Hero Arm? Let’s chat.
We understand that children might be nervous about trying new technology, that’s why we welcome families to book a consultation appointment at one of our clinics where you can play around and trying the Hero Arm’s bionic tech in a relaxed and casual environment.