Rayven “Bubba” Kahae was born with a rare condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS), which means he doesn’t have fingers on one of his hands. Now a non-profit group called E-Nable has given him a 3D printed moveable hand, colored to match his favorite superhero, Iron Man.
The mechanical hand allowed Rayven to grab things with two hands for the first time in his life. The prosthetic hand uses no electricity, and thanks to the fundraising efforts of E-Nable it didn’t cost the Kahae family anything.
“He knew from earlier on when he could notice that his sister had two hands and he didn’t, that he always said he doesn’t like that hand he wanted one like Titas,” Rayven’s grandmother Rulan Waikiki said.
The prosthetic was created using a 3D printer, allowing each hand to be manufactured for just $50, whereas patients spend up to $40,000 for a commercially made prosthetic hand.
Last week, Rayven’s Ironman hand arrived in the mail. Rayven’s father Moses captured the special moment on camera.
Waikiki said she hopes that E-nable’s prosthetic hands will stop children suffering from ABS from being ostracized. “Some of them right now are being teased in school because they don’t have a hand, or they’re different, but once they get this hand their self-confidence will go through the roof.”
“I’m not sure if the video, you can hear it on there, but he does say, ‘I can hold my own hand,'” Waikiki said.
E-Nable is entirely run by volunteers creates quite a variety of prosthetic hands, with multiple colors, lights, and touch sensors. To find out more information about what E-Nable do, to donate, volunteer (globally), or to print your own, just visit their website: http://enablingthefuture.org/
