Lending A (Robot) Hand

Shaping the future of children with limb loss using innovative technology.

- Vanessa Papas

It sounds a little sci-fi. A robotic-like mechanical external body part built by man that can fill a gap in the life of a little girl. But six-year-old Meagan van der Merwe from the West Rand is living proof that nothing is impossible.

Meagan was born with a condition called symbrachydactyly, which resulted in her left hand not developing fully. While she has movement in her wrist, her fingers are tiny nubbins. The condition occurs during pregnancy if a part of the baby doesn’t get enough blood flow or because of some other problem with the tissue. It’s not caused by anything the mother did or did not do while she was pregnant. Doctors explained to Megan’s parents, mom Michelle and dad Johann, that their newborn would never have full use of her hand.

“I was five months pregnant when the gynaecologist noticed that there was a difference in the length of our baby’s arms. he then referred us to a Foetal assessment Centre where they did a detailed check on our baby to see if there were any other complications. It was a big relief when the doctor confirmed that our baby was healthy otherwise but obviously we were worried about what the future held,” says Michelle. “We’d never heard about symbrachydactyly before. all parents just want what’s best for their children. After getting over the initial shock of the news of her condition, our focus was to ensure that Meagan is healthy and that we can get the best treatment if necessary."

After Meagan’s birth, Michelle and Johann made an appointment with a professor of hand surgery in pretoria who explained that there is no treatment for their baby’s condition.