Printed prosthetics are getting more and more mainstream attention. And how could they not? They usually involve young kids finally obtaining much-desired, custom prosthetics, manufactured for a fraction of the price of one-size-fits-all models produced by the medical industry. And, because they’re custom-made, more and more kids are getting prosthetics that fit their personalities, as well as their bodies. The most recent story to catch the world’s attention is that of five-year-old Hailey Dawson, who threw the opening pitch at the Baltimore Orioles game this week.
The Hawaii-born, Las-Vegas-based Orioles fan was born with Poland syndrome, leaving her with a partially undeveloped right hand. After seeing her brother play a little league game, Hailey developed the desire to pitch for the big leagues, according to her mom, Yong Dawson. Dawson, elaborated to MLB.com, “She said, ‘I wish I could throw the ball out for the big Orioles.’ Her brother plays Little League … so she considers him the ‘small Orioles.’ So, I thought about it and I thought it’s kind of a tall order, but what the heck? I’ll try.”
Fortunately, students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas were able to design a custom hand for Hailey, using orange and black to represent the colors of her favorite team. More importantly, she was able to throw a pitch to her favorite player, Manny Machado. You can watch the footage of the pitch below.
