Go-go Gadget Hands

 Parenting any child comes with challenges in this crazy world with all its potential pitfalls. But add to the mix attempting to give your son or daughter all the same advantages as everyone else when a disability is part of the equation. Suddenly things that most take for granted, like holding cards during an UNO game, can seem like monumental problems if that disability means missing most of your fingers. Enter Luke Dennison, an 8 year old with parents that were determined to even the playing field. They initially did what most would do, turning to doctors and companies who make it their business to create and fit prosthetics to each unique patient. Sadly for Luke, he never could adapt to the conventional options. While they could increase some functionality there always seemed to be something missing.

Luke demonstrating one of his hand attachments

Luke's dad Gregg decided to think outside of the box. He soon began learning and experimenting with the world of 3D printing. Before long, he was producing what the prosthetic companies could not...a variety of "hands" (six total so far) that each served a unique function for Luke to use if and when needed. "We say that the hands are like a Swiss Army knife. Not every hand serves the same function. They are like tools," says Dennison while tinkering with a new design on his PC. 

So now if Luke wants to play catch, well there is a hand attachment for that. If he needs to hold a mug and sip on hot chocolate, there is a hand for that. If, as mentioned earlier, its time for family game night with an UNO deck, there is a really, really cool hand for that. Props to the Dennison family for banding together and going beyond convention to make their child's life more convenient and easy. Sometimes it takes people that have to deal with the pain of day-to-day challenges to properly motivate the kind of ingenuity to progress forward. It would not be a surprise if the prosthetic companies pause and take notice, even adopting these ideas for future generations.

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