During her pregnancy, Melissa Memmer of Newburgh, Indiana, learned that her unborn child would be missing some fingers and toes. She was initially heartbroken over the news, but her son Colton, who was born missing his left arm below the elbow and is now nine years old, has continuously surprised his mom with his resilience and adaptability. The third-grader takes part in soccer, football, and wrestling, and has learned to manage most of his activities without needing much help.
Recognizing what it would mean for Colton's active lifestyle, his dad, Bryan Memmer, looked into getting him an electronic prosthetic that could help him in his sports activities. They traveled to Denver where the third-grader tried a myoelectric "Hero Arm," which he adapted to quickly. Colton was excited about the prosthetic making life easier for him, but his hopes were dashed when they learned their insurance company wouldn’t cover the $20,000 cost of the prosthetic, saying “he didn’t need it.”
When the Memmer’s community learned about the insurance company’s denial, they responded with overwhelming support, and a crowdfund quickly raised more than $15-thousand toward the cause. On February 1st, the local Jimmy John's is hosting a "give back" night to make the final push to reach the fundraising goal. Now that it looks like he might be able to get his hero's arm, Colton’s dream of one day being in the NFL seems like it could come true.
Source: 14 NEWS