5 Year Old, First to Receive Bionic Arms
A five-year-old boy, born with one hand, has become the youngest person ever fitted with a bionic arm.
Jordan Marotta experienced “pure joy” when he received his Iron Man-themed ‘Hero Arm’ prosthetic last week. Hours after getting the arm, footage showed him riding his scooter, gripping the handlebars with the prosthetic.
“It’s really fun and it’s cool,” said Jordan. “I like to play with the hand and make it open and close.”
His mother, Ashley Marotta, contacted Open Bionics, the company that makes the prosthetics, when Jordan started asking why his hand hadn’t ‘grown back’. Despite being told he was likely too young for a mechanical limb, they let Jordan try one. Following a successful trial, they agreed to fit him with the arm at their New York City office, two years earlier than usual.
“As soon as we left with Jordan’s Hero Arm, he was running around with so much confidence, trying to hail New York taxis,” said Ashley.
“You can’t even put a number on how amazing that is. It is worth its weight in gold.”
The first thing Jordan wanted to do when he got home was ride his scooter, now able to hold on with both hands. His advice in a video: “Don’t give up. Just don’t give up.”
Ashley was fortunate that her health insurance covered the cost of the arm. Jordan quickly adapted to using it in his daily life.
Watch the first moments below…