Teen with Bionic Arm Unlocks New Possibilities

Ethan, a thirteen-year-old robotics enthusiast from Virginia, was born without his left hand but has always found innovative ways to accomplish nearly every task with just one hand. During the delivery appointment, the teen with a bionic arm felt something he’d never experienced before, options “The coolest part is just being able to use it,” he said. “It’s like actually having another hand.”

Ethan didn’t wait long to put his new bionic arm to the test. Immediately after being fitted with his Hero PRO, he wore it straight to a robotics competition with his team, eager to see what he could do with the bionic hand.

He grew up figuring out his own methods for carrying school supplies, helping in the kitchen, working on robotics projects and playing soccer. He also enjoys indoor rock climbing and building Hot Wheels and marble tracks around the house. “Nothing was super hard except holding things,” he said. “I could only carry things with one arm. With this bionic arm, I’m hoping it’ll be easier to carry bags and a bunch of stuff at once.”

His parents, let Ethan decide whether he needed a prosthetic arm. “We’ve always let him lead,” mom said. “If he didn’t want a prosthetic, that was entirely his choice. When he started asking more questions, I began researching and following limb difference accounts on Instagram. That’s how I found Open Bionics.”

When Ethan was a baby, the choices were limited. “Seeing modern bionic technology that responds to his muscles made it useful instead of just cosmetic,” Christine said.

Dad agreed. “The way the hand moves with his muscles makes it feel useful and real,” he said. “It’s not like a hook or a cosmetic hand. It does what he needs it to do.”

He remembers the moment Ethan’s interest in prosthetics began to grow. “I showed him a football player with a bionic hand,” Patrick said. “He was skeptical but interested. It took about three years for him to feel comfortable asking more questions. The technology of the Hero PRO is what drew him in because it actually works with his muscles.”

When Ethan arrived for his evaluation, he wasn’t sure what to expect. “I came in a little skeptical if it would actually work,” he said. “But once I tried it, I was surprised how well it worked. It was actually fun to use.” He quickly learned to open and close the hand using myoelectric signals and picked up objects during his first session.

At his delivery appointment, Ethan practiced holding objects, switching grips and using freeze mode to secure items. “That’s pretty cool,” he said. 

During his fitting, Ethan swapped out his bionic hand for the Prana Activity Attachment to do some push-ups using both arms. “He wants to do more in the gym and build muscle,” Patrick explained. “Right now if you put a weight on his shorter arm, he just can’t do it. With the attachments, it opens up new ways for him to do push-ups, hang from his pullup bar and try things that weren’t possible before.”

The Hero PRO connects directly to the things Ethan cares about. “Sometimes I like to cook or make things,” he said. “Right now when I’m cutting, I have to put my hand on top of what I’m cutting and try not to cut my hand. With the arm, I’ll be able to hold the knife or hold two different things, and it’ll make it a lot easier.”

Building robotics is another area he’s excited to put the arm to the test. “I do robotics and sometimes it’s hard to hold stuff, so I have to get another teammate. With this arm, I’ll be able to hold stuff myself, like a drill in one hand and a wrench in the other.”

One of the first things Ethan said afterward was that he wanted to see how far he could take it. The Hero PRO opened up possibilities for daily function, but also gave him new training goals.

Ethan’s path to receiving his Hero PRO was a bit of a learning curve. His family was surprised to find out that their insurance plan excluded myoelectric prostheses, even after his physician documented the medical necessity, insurance initially denied the claim. “There weren’t many good options when he was younger, and even now the system makes it so hard for kids to get what they need,” Christine said. “When we finally saw him using the hand, it felt like the technology had finally caught up to what he needed, but insurance needs to do the same. This has opened a door for him.”

As Ethan continues to practice, he will be able to refine grip patterns, adjust sensitivity settings on the Sidekick app, and use his Hero PRO for training and challenges. “I was really skeptical,” Ethan said, “but this was actually really fun to use. It’ll help me hold more stuff, cook, do robotics and carry things at school. I’m excited to try everything.”

If you’re skeptical, but would like to explore what’s possible with a bionic arm, schedule a free consultation with your nearest certified prosthetics clinician today.