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second half of their pregnancy and knew they would unconditionally love and support their baby through whatever struggles might lie ahead. Little Thomas Dengel made his long-awaited arrival a few months later, with any worries quickly melting away as Mum and Dad held their beautiful boy for the first time. Family life over the past four years has been like any other, with Tommy reaching those first milestones in his own unique way and at his own pace, learning to do all the things other children can like dress himself, paint and even climb things.
“It was difficult at first to see your child struggle to pick things up or do simple day- to-day tasks. But Tommy adapted very quickly and nothing has ever stopped him, although he did ask not long ago when his arm would grow back,” dad Adam says. Since birth, Tommy and his family have been involved with some fantastic charities who help limb-difference children such as the Never
Say Never Foundation in America which runs pirate themed camps in Florida for children to try activities and sports they might have never imagined they could.
They were also introduced to artificial limbs by Greg and Toni Lynch from Reading who helped make Tommy’s first assistive device – themed around legendary space ranger, Buzz Lightyear. “When he first tried it on we’ve never seen a bigger smile on his face. And then when we were invited to the pirate camp in Florida, there were some kids who had no arms at all and had to use cutlery with their feet.
“Both Katie and I knew we wanted to help other parents and families going through similar circumstances in any way we could,” Adam says. Last March, the couple, both 30, launched the
LimbBo Foundation with the help of Adam’s mum Jane and friend Paul who are both trustees. Inspired by Tommy’s first assistive device, Adam wanted to put a smile on the faces of other limb-difference children with customisable arms
in a theme or colour of their choice. “While looking at starting the foundation, we came across this amazing charity called Team UnLimbited which is basically two guys who have designed one of the finest pieces of engineering I’ve ever seen.
“They created a prototype for a fully functioning assistive device, the basic design of which can kindly be downloaded completely free of charge by anyone to create using a 3D printer.” After investing in an entry-level 3D printer, costing around £800, Adam watched YouTube tutorials and taught himself how to use it, creating a replacement for Tommy’s beloved Buzz arm which had gotten into a sorry old state from months of constant use by a then toddler. Unlike NHS standard prothesis which Adam says are more like false-looking doll arms, the Team UnLimbited arm cleverly functions by elastic bands and fishing wire which act as tendons holding all the 3D printed pieces together. “This means that a limb-different child can use
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