Amputee Star Wars fan, 11, is given an R2-D2 bionic arm and receives a call from Mark Hamill – after he shared her story with his 3.6 million followers
- Bella Tadlock, from Tallahassee, Florida, raised $14,000 for the R2-D2 bionic arm
- Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, boosted the campaign last year
- Bella was able to show off her new limb to Hamill in a Skype phone call
- Bella was born without fingers on her right hand and with a shorter left arm
Bella Tadlock, from Tallahassee, Florida, raised almost $14,000 for her bionic hero arm after her appeal caught the eye of Mark Hamill in November
An 11-year-old amputee Star Wars fan has received an R2-D2 bionic limb and a phone call from Luke Skywalker himself.
Bella Tadlock, from Tallahassee, Florida, raised almost $14,000 for her bionic hero arm after her appeal caught the eye of Mark Hamill in November.
The iconic actor retweeted the fundraiser to his 3.6million followers and Bella was able to show off her advanced multi-grip arm from Open Bionics in a Skype call with him.
Hamill told her: ‘That is great – that is so fantastic. I’m so happy that you were able to have this happen for you.’
Hamill, who famously got his own bionic hand as Skywalker, then went on to answer lots of fan questions Bella had about the Star Wars universe.
The arm is one of several hero arms manufactured by Open Bionics who are based in Bristol, England.
It works by picking up signals from muscles in the residual limb. The company has a royalty-free licensing agreement with Lucasfilm to produce Star Wars cover designs for their bionic arms.
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Mark Hamill (left), who famously got his own bionic hand as Skywalker, then went on to answer lots of fan questions Bella had about the Star Wars universe
Bella said: ‘I now have two hands – I am so excited. I will be able to ride my bike, create in the kitchen and be like my friends. To be able to bend my fingers and pick things up is a dream come true.’
Bella was born without fingers on her right hand and with her left arm shorter than her right.
After several operations, she now has three fingers and a thumb on her right hand, but wanted a non-surgical option for her left hand.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker with R2-D2 (left) and R2 with C-3PO at The Rise Of Skywalker premiere in London in December
Bella’s mother, Pamela Tadlock, said: ‘This is completely life-changing. Since Isabella was adopted at a few weeks old she has overcome huge obstacles and endured many surgeries.
‘Now she has a hand, with no surgery and no pain. I’m so grateful to Open Bionics and Hanger Clinic. Bella likes Luke Skywalker because he lost a hand and was adopted like her.’
In February a military veteran who lost part of his arm in Afghanistan became the first person to receive a 3D-printed ‘hero arm’ on the UK’s tax-payer funded National Health Service (NHS).
Bella said: ‘I now have two hands – I am so excited. I will be able to ride my bike, create in the kitchen and be like my friends. To be able to bend my fingers and pick things up is a dream come true.’
The bionic arm works by picking up signals from muscles in the residual limb. The company has a royalty-free licensing agreement with Lucasfilm to produce Star Wars cover designs for their bionic arms.
The Open Bionics limb made with colors inspired by the famous R2-D2 robot from Star Wars
Darren ‘Daz’ Fuller lost the lower part of his right arm in Afghanistan in 2008 during an incident with mortar ammunition.
The new multi-grip arm was funded through the NHS Veterans’ Prosthetics Panel.
Samantha Payne, Open Bionics co-founder, said: ‘We’re delighted that Bella loves her new R2-D2 arm, and it’s fantastic that Mark Hamill, who is a role model to limb-different children worldwide, is so proactive in letting these kids know that they have the admiration and support of one of the galaxy’s biggest heroes.’