Help Kiowa get his Hero Arm prosthetic

We are Nicole and Ulises, the parents of Kiowa Sol. Kiowa was born with a limb difference on his left side, due to Amniotic Band Syndrome in utero. This means his left arm developed different from the elbow down and he does not have a full hand and his left leg is missing a number of bones.

Kiowa has always been a very skilled and agile child, doing everything with his small arm from drawing and using scissors, embroidery, pottery, horseback riding, TaiKwonDo, archery, woodwork and swimming. He is an active and brilliant child and has been an example for many kids in his life to be bold and brave and creative with their bodies and skill sets. Needless to say, he has learned how to navigate life with his limb difference and use his body in ways many never imagined he could.

3 years ago we learned about Open Bionics and their Hero Arm prosthetics through the community of the Lucky Fin Project , an online collective of children and adults living and thriving with limb differences. Here is a description from their website:

"Advanced, intuitive, robust. The Hero Arm is the world’s most affordable multi-grip prosthetic arm, with multi-grip functionality and empowering aesthetics. Engineered and manufactured in the UK, the Hero Arm is a lightweight and affordable myoelectric prosthesis, now available in over 800 locations in the USA, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand for below-elbow amputee adults and children aged 8 and above. Your limb difference is your superpower."

We started dialogue with Open Bionics about getting a Hero Arm for Kiowa. We were connected with their office in Los Angeles and started the process. The prosthetic costs $25,000USD ($475,000Mexican Pesos). We applied for grants and funding options but didnt receive the funding we had hoped for.

We did, however, win a grant for their Hero Flex sports adaptable prosthetic this summer through Challenged Athletes Foundation. It is an We went to California and he got fitted for that prosthetic in August.

While we were there, Kiowa also tested a Hero Arm. He is the perfect candidate for that prosthetic and can work it really well.

This month Kiowa broke his pinky finger on his hand playing goalie in soccer at school. That unexpected and unfortunate accident has been impactful. Without his full hand, he is extremely limited in what he can do on his own.

Living this experience has made it very clear just how important it is for his independence and well-being to have access to quality prosthetics and mobility devices.

We want to invite our community to help us fund this Hero Arm. We have a goal of $25K USD to get the prosthetic in December 2024, when we pick up the sports prosthetic.

Thank you for helping!

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