Bionic boy Alan shows off new bike skills onTV
AN 11-YEAR-OLD schoolboy thought to be the youngest person in the world to have two bionic hands has shown off his new bike-riding skills live on television’s This Morning
Alan Gifford, from Loughor, Swansea, a pupil at Tre Uchaf Primary School, had both his own hands amputated at the wrist at the age of three after complications arising from a heart condition.
But his life has recently been made a whole lot easier after he had two prosthetics fitted just a week ago.
He has already learned how to ride using his new hands.
The prosthetic hands were the result of years of raising funds by his mother, Hannah Jones, with £30,000 enough to have his new hands fitted.
Alan’s first state-of-the-art artificial hand was fitted in 2015 after his family raised £30,000 with the help of donors nationwide.
The youngster also has an app on his phone that helps him establish a customised grip to complete tasks, as well as using the muscles in his forearm that would operate his hands.
Asked by host Eamonn Holmes if using arms felt “like magic, like Harry Potter”, Alan said: “It feels like I am just a normal boy, who has lots of dreams to do.”
Alan, who aspires to be a special needs teacher, added on the ITV show yesterday: “I’m able to ride a bike with my friends and eat with a knife and fork.
“And when I go to the park I can hold onto climbing-frames.”
His mother, Hannah, said previously: “He’s absolutely chuffed and is spending every day learning how to use both hands together.
“Boys of that age want to be independent and now he can be. They’ve changed his life. The feeling I get when I see him using them is beyond words.
“His confidence has soared and he has become even cheekier.”
Alan was born with a complex heart condition, and the organ wasn’t strong enough to pump blood to his fingertips.
“We were told about three times he wasn’t going to pull through the night and we had to get the family down just in case, but each time he pulled through and got stronger and stronger,” Hannah previously said.
“We knew there would be no saving his hands and we had come to terms with that before he had to have them amputated.
“It was heart-breaking, but we knew it had to be done and at the end of the day we were lucky for him to still be alive.
“For him to come away with or without his hands but to have his life was a bonus to us.”
Alan still has small holes in his heart, a weak immune system and problems with his bowels, but his new bionic hands have given him a lot more independence.
“The support has been amazing. We have had the best support from The Gower & Llwchwr Estuary Lions Club – they have been with us from the beginning,” Hannah said.
“The local and the wider community have also taken to Alan and his appeal.
“Everyone has been so helpful with all the fundraisers, especially the biker community – we have had a few ride-outs and raised big amounts of money.”