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Help us help Hailey raise awareness about Poland Syndrome while supporting the research and development of 3-D printed prosthetic hands for children.
Hailey’s Story
Seven-year-old Hailey was born with Poland Syndrome, a rare condition in which individuals are born with an underdeveloped or missing pectoral muscle. In Hailey’s case, her right hand is missing three fingers, and her thumb and pinky are underdeveloped.
A typical prosthetic would cost around $20,000, and need to be re-made every 6+ months due to her growing body.
Her 3-D printed, robotic hand, developed by faculty and students at UNLV’s Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, has enabled her to grab, grasp, and throw with her right hand.
Pinch-hitting
Hailey is using her love of baseball to create awareness and solutions for other children with Poland Syndrome. Hailey’s goal is to throw out the first pitch at as many Major League Baseball parks as possible. So far she’s pitched for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. And the response from other MLB has been over whelming! She already has invitations from at least 26 MLB teams to come pitch for them next spring. She has even been invited to throw out the first pitch at the 4th game of this year’s World Series!
What Your Donation Will Fund
You can help UNLV’s College of Engineering assist other children like Hailey throw balls, grasp bicycle handles, and even hold their parents hands. Donations support graduate research students, materials, and lab time. We estimate that the total cost of each hand is approximately $5,000.
In addition, in order to make a significant leap in production time, an upgrade in laboratory 3-D printing capabilities is necessary. The cost estimate for a dedicated printer with this level of technology and application is in the range of $60,000.
The College has already been able to assist another local child with her own 3-D printed prosthetic hand thanks to the generosity of AECOM. We can help a lot with your support!
Recent Media
Track Hailey's Progress
Learn more about the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at www.unlv.edu/engineering
Thank you for helping make robotic high fives a reality for children like Hailey!
Building a hand requires effort, support and expertise from many throughout the community. Thank you for being a part of our team!
Each hand takes over 80 hours to fit, mold and produce. Your gift helps support the development of robotic 3-D printed prosthetic hands for children like Hailey!
The robotic hand has a series of small pulley systems that mimic fingers opening and closing. Research continues to improve the movement with eventual plans for a motorized system. Gifts at this level will impact continued research for more children.
Materials for each hand include special plastic compounds and movable joints that mimic knuckles. Your gift helps pay for materials to build the 3-D printed hands that enable children to grasp bicycle handles, throw baseballs, and even hold their parents' hands.
Initially, researchers thought that one of roughly 100 hand designs already developed and available to the public would be a perfect fit for Hailey. When none were, the team started from scratch, creating a customized hand blending design ideas and materials found around the world.
Each hand requires multiple versions and the current 3-D printer is shared. Gifts at this level will help bring a dedicated printer for Hailey's Hand research.
A gift at this level provides a single child a 3-D printed hand! It covers the cost of materials, lab time and students. You have given a whole hand. Thank you!