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Children's Health

Boy, 5, gets ‘Hulk’-inspired prosthetic arm, can finally give younger brother hug

By Madeline Farber Fox News
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A 5-year-old British boy who was born without a large portion of his left arm can finally give his younger brother a hug after receiving a “Hulk”-inspired prosthetic arm.

Jacob Scrimshaw, who was born with just a small stump coming off his left shoulder, was fitted for the green robotic arm on Dec. 12.

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“I always thought Jacob coped well without his arm and got on with things, but when he came home from school in tears I knew we had to do something,” his mother, Gemma Turner, 36, told South West News Service (SWNS), a British news agency.

Jacob Scrimshaw, 5, hugging his younger brother Sebastian, 3 with his new prosthetic arm.

Jacob Scrimshaw, 5, hugging his younger brother Sebastian, 3 with his new prosthetic arm. (SWNS)

Finding a proper prosthetic proved to be a challenge, as Turner and Jacob’s father, Chris Scrimshaw, had trouble finding one that had an artificial elbow joint and would stay attached to their son’s upper arm.

"We started raising money on GoFundMe in February this year. I knew what we wanted would cost an awful lot of money. We thought we would have to go to America,” said Turner.

By September, the fundraiser reached about $20,000, meaning Tuner and Scrimshaw were able to begin searching for the perfect prosthetic for their son.

On Instagram, Turner came across a man named Ben Ryan, a one-time psychology teacher who is now the owner of Amnionics, a UK-based company that creates innovative prosthetics. She reached out.

Jacob Scrimshaw, 5 with his new prosthetic arm.

Jacob Scrimshaw, 5 with his new prosthetic arm. (SWNS)

Ryan, with help from the prosthetic service provider Dorset Orthopaedics, was able to create a robotic prosthetic arm for Jacob that is fixed above the elbow. The 5-year-old has taken to it very well, according to Ryan and Jacob’s parents.

"Jacob's family is unusual in this case in that when they were told they had to wait for a prosthetic or were told that it would not work for him they refused to give in and kept looking for answers — I was the same,”  he said, referring to his own son who is also missing an arm. "They kept going and luckily they found me.

"Ambionics capitalizes on multi-jet fusion 3-D printing technology to create advanced prosthetic limbs,” he continued. "Our super lightweight and highly durable arms enable infants to adapt to prosthetics earlier in their neural development than ever before.”

Jacob Scrimshaw, 5, hugging his younger brother Sebastian, 3.

Jacob Scrimshaw, 5, hugging his younger brother Sebastian, 3. (SWNS)

Added Ryan: “Jacob has smashed all expectations, already he is wanting to wear his prosthetic more than we could have hoped for. It is great that he is getting used to it."

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Turner said her son “loves” his new arm and is excited to soon see Jacob open Christmas gifts with two hands for the first time.

“We always wanted more as Jacob didn't want a non-functioning arm just to look like everybody else, he's not bothered about that,” she said. "He wanted an arm that he could use and do things with."