#AppreciationMonday: Eight-year-old gets a prosthetic Lego arm
Young Beknur is given a chance to do more in a very special way.
We love starting off the week with some positive and uplifting stories. Things that remind us to be consciously grateful every day. We must wake up each day saying, "thank you", and be grateful for what we have instead of concentrating on what we don't have.
This story got us teary eyed, it showed us how a little boy who was not born with full arms and legs can be so inspiring to us. How his story can motivate us to, firstly, be grateful for having our arms and legs (which is something that many of us take for granted), and, secondly, his mentor, David Aguilar, teaches us that using your passion for good can be so empowering.
Beknur was born without hands and knees. He cannot walk but after watching him build Lego with his feet and hands, it goes to show how amazingly resilient his body and mind is.
His body didn't stop and say "I can't" - he managed to use what he has been blessed with to perform tasks that many people take for granted. He uses his toes and his fingers the best he can...
WATCH the video below (courtesy of YouTube):
David Aguilar, a 22-year-old man, went through bullying in school for his condition. He was born with Poland Syndrome - "a birth defect characterised by an underdeveloped chest muscle and short webbed fingers on one side of the body." (Wikipedia).
He shared that this affects one person in every twenty thousand.
He was bullied for being different in school but he decided to use his condition to his benefit. He holds the record for building the first fully functional prosthetic Lego arm, awarded by The Guinness World Records.
He heard about Beknur's condition through his mother who had emailed him to say that their doctors were not able to assist him with a prosthetic that would be functional. He currently has five versions of his prosthetics and with each model he has progressed with his design.
Beknur and David share a sentimental moment when he tries on his first prosthetic arm. He's just a kid who wants to be able to do more.
Well done, David, for inspiring a young Beknur to do more...
The first and most important thing is self esteem. When Beknur goes to school he is comparing himself to other kids and he gets disappointed when he can't grab something. With prosthetics he will be able to get more functionality plus for himself the LEGO® prosthetic looks cool.
Image Courtesy of YouTube