Three-year-old Rayden Kahae must be the happiest little boy in the world right now.
 
Rayden was born with amniotic band syndrome, and is missing fingers on his right hand. The expense combined with how fast kids grow means that for most families, getting a prosthetic is simply not an option.
 
With 3D printing technology however everything is changing for children like Rayden.
 
Rayden, while generally a happy little boy, was always very upset about his right hand. His mother Rayven explained that he would cry frequently when other children asked to touch it, and always hid it in his pockets.
 
His new prosthetic has completely changed his life.
 
“He would never want to show it to people,” said his mum. “Now, he shows it to everybody. He’s so proud. He can catch a ball.”
 
Rayden got his new hand from a charity called E-nabling the Future, which works to provide children with 3D printed prosthetics. The 3D printing technology means that they can be created for as little as $50, and are easily adapted to the growing child’s needs.
 
The charity made an extra special hand for Rayden, designed like the arm of his favourite superhero, Iron Man.
 
 
Rayden’s grandmother, Rulan was the one who came across the charity and she is overjoyed at her grandson newfound confidence.
 
“Now instead of being teased at school for not having fingers, he is stared at for his cool hand,” Rulan revealed.
 
‘When his mom put the Iron Man hand on Rayden, he immediately closed the hand and began playing with it and staring at it,” she said. “He started showing off his hand to his baby brother too, you could see the excitement in his wide, bright eyes.”
 
“He held his own hand and told his parents ‘I can hold my own hand’, then started using both of his hands to hide his face.”
 
“Rayden’s still learning to use his Iron Man hand on a daily basis. Because the muscles in that arm were never really used before, it will take a little time before he’ll be really comfortable with it.”
 

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