Lisa's Hero Arm Appeal

Hello! I am Lisa and I am crowdfunding for a Hero Arm and I really hope that you can support me with my campaign.

I was born one-handed. I have a little residue of an arm just below my left elbow.

I was fitted with my first prosthetic arm when I was around 3 or 4 and it was one of the horrible doll's arm, dark tanned and opened and closed through a hoisting strap that went around my back and looped around my right arm. The chafing was that bad under my right arm I had to stop using it. Also, the arm never made me feel inclusive, it highlighted my indifference, but in a bad way so the bullying continued. I stopped using one completely when I was around 5. It did not help my ability and the arm would get in the way, it was rigid and uncomfortable to wear.

Throughout my life, and unfortunately, a lot of ‘less-abled’ people will tell you, I was never really able to be inclusive to anything that I did, and I had a lot of
people tell me what I can and cannot do. Such as you will not get a boyfriend, you cannot pour a pint, you cannot use a microscope. I am now married with two children; my first job was working behind the bar and I have just finished an MSc in Biomedical Science. I am now studying a PGCE to become a Biology teacher.

Having a limb indifference was never really an issue for me, until 7 years ago when I was diagnosed with repetitive strain injury and I was told to rest my right arm (funny I know but there is nothing more they can do!). I adapted
very well to this at first with using arm bandages, anti-inflammatory creams, and wrist splints because I can easily sprain my wrist. But, whilst I was finishing the third year of my undergraduate degree, I noticed that I could not pipette properly, and I had only been doing it for 10 minutes and the pain in my thumb was terrible. That lasted for around a week before I had any reprieve. I knew then that my ability to perform lab work was starting to take its toll. But I did not tell anybody, I did not want this to be another ‘you can’t do this’.

I started my MSc and although I had been resting my arm at night- time with the bandages, splints and cream, the shaking in my hand meant that I could not even do cell culturing anymore and that is a vital experiment strategy needed for any virologist to perform. So, this is when I looked into where the technology currently was on bionic arms and I found Open Bionics.



The Hero Arm has versatility and it looks next-generation bionics that is out of this world. It has got character, it has got attitude and it doesn’t look human. I have always owned my ‘less-ability’ I do not want to look like everyone else, but I want to be able to perform the same way as others and that is what I will get from the hero arm.

I will be able to hold a petri dish lid and spread culture at the same time. I will be able to use both hands inside a culture cupboard without having to sit on an angle and hurt my back, I will be able to perform my mom duties without having to stop every 5 minutes to rest my hand. I will even be able to cook without putting the saucepan handle under my rib cage to hold the pan in place. I want to be able to
hold my son’s hands (they argue over who’s gonna hold my hand on the school run!), I’ll be able to control a shopping trolley, lift heavy things off the top shelf without it crashing into my face, I want people to look at me in a ‘wow’ expression rather than as if I’m contagious.

The funny thing is, people say to me 'but you’ve adapted’, and yes I have but at what cost? I now suffer from repetitive strain injury and I am in constant pain. I can no longer write for longer than a few minutes before my hand starts to swell up and pulsate. I need to give my hand the rest that it needs and offset the load by wearing a prosthetic that will help me. 

The universe is limitless and that is what I want, for myself, for everyone that I have helped, for my sons, I just need help to get there. Can you please help me?

Thank you so much for your support.