Give Chelsea a hand

Hi my name is Chelsea and I’m from Bexleyheath Kent. I’m 25 and I have the lower part of my right arm missing, which is from birth and the condition is called amniotic

band syndrome. I was born three months early and the doctors were not sure whether I’d be missing an arm, a leg or both!! Luckily I was only missing my right forearm.

Amniotic band syndrome is a condition that occurs in anywhere from 1 in 1,200 to 15,000 births, and it happens when fibrous bands of the amniotic sac ( the lining inside

the uterus that contains the foetus) gets tangled around the developing foetus.

My friends and family would describe me as a quiet and independent person who will only ask for help when needed. I could also be described as a withdrawn

person who is still suffering from bullying at the age of 25 because I have a limb difference. I’ve been bullied all my life due to my limb difference as it’s not common, especially with my age group!

I love reading, cooking, baking and doing anything creative. I also love anything to do with beauty. So I am really hoping to be able to use a Hero Arm to help me do these hobbies.

Being able to cook and bake like an able-bodied person without needing anyone else’s help to be able to do tasks to my full ability will be amazing.

The only prosthetics that I’ve tried in the past are from the NHS. They were made of wood and a plastic glove, and they are mainly made for the aesthetic of having two hands. They’re not designed for the functionality of everyday life. They have hindered me more than helped me, and that’s why I’ve been without a prosthetic since my early teens.

I am lucky enough to have a very supportive and loving family and a small group of friends, but there have been times of difficulty from those who did bully me due to my

limb difference.

Getting the Hero Arm is very important to me because I feel it would make me feel better in myself both mentally and physically. I won’t be using my arm as a hand anymore; I’ll be using it as an arm which will help me a lot with my posture and reduce pain and strain on my shoulder and back.

I have set up this gofundme page hoping that people will support me in getting my Hero Arm. My hopes and dreams are to do everyday things without struggling and be the person I am on the inside on the outside too.

I want to say a HUGE thank you to my mum. I am very lucky to have a supportive mother who has done everything in her power to help me be me and to not treat me any differently. She has taken me to every clinical appointment for the NHS prosthetics. She got my bike as a child adapted so I could be like any other able-bodied person, and she’s drove me to Maidstone and back for a couple of years so that I could do my driving lessons and test at a disability driving school. Now I am starting this journey she has also driven me to and from Bristol to see the Hero Arm so that I could start trying to make this dream come true. I am truly grateful for her; she's an amazing mother.

I'm raising money for my Hero Arm through The Open Bionics Foundation and every donation will help me. Thank you in advance for your contribution it means so much to me. More information about The Open Bionics Foundation: The Open Bionics Foundation provides financial support to socioeconomically deprived people with limb differences who need multi-grip upper limb prosthetics.