A teenager who felt she 'never fitted in' because she was born with a severe limb deficiency, meaning her right arm ended at her elbow, has now been offered the chance to have an electronic bionic arm made for her. Gemma Tomlinson, 17, from Bury, was born with the deficiency and has spent all her childhood battling with day to day tasks that are taken for granted.
Tying her shoelaces, putting on socks and chopping food in the kitchen are just some of the challenges Gemma faces every day. Ever since she was born, mum Julie said that she has faced difficulties that 'nobody else even thinks about' due to her disability.
However, deciding she wanted to learn to drive and join the police force gave the family some momentum, and they have now sourced a special prosthetics company in Bristol who could create a high tech bionic arm for Gemma and vastly improve her quality of life.
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Gemma, 17, said: "Growing up I always had to find different ways to do things, and noticed I was different from everybody else early on. I didn't feel I fitted in because nobody I knew had any sort of disability.
"I had two different prosthetic arms as a child, one of them was just for looks and it made it look like I had two hands, and the other was a heavier one that I struggled to use because I was so young.
"I am thinking of joining the police so it would help me with everything job wise, and I want to be able to do more day to day things like learning to drive."
Open Bionics, based in Bristol, develop medical devices that aim to give people with conditions like Gemma's, a shot at a more normal life. The Hero Arm is the world's first clinically approved 3D printed bionic arm according to Open Bionics.
Mum Julie said that the device could offer Gemma the chance to 'move on, grow up and develop' with her life. She has watched her daughter struggle with daily tasks for 17 years.
Julie said: "Gemma was born with her limb deficiency on her right arm, below her elbow so was born with no lower arm or hand. Gemma really wants to grow up, move on and learn to do things like driving and getting a job now.
"She really feels this bionic arm would make her life easier because she struggles a lot. She can't do every day things we take for granted like tying her laces or chopping up food.
"She has grown up without using her arm and she has adapted, but still really struggles, and this would give her so much more confidence and improve her chances and quality of life. The fingers would move individually, it has better grip and would give her a chance to do normal things like everybody else.
"It is like putting your socks on with one hand - it's so challenging and things nobody else even thinks about, but she faces that every single day."
Gemma and her mum are now raising £5,000 to cover the cost of the bionic arm. They have started up a Go Fund Me page, where people are able to donate before their appointment in August.
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