A soldier who lost an arm in Afghanistan can finally cuddle his four-year-old daughter thanks to a new 3D-printed prosthetic arm.
Darren Fuller, 43, was operating weaponry to support a patrol when a mortar bomb misfired and he lost his right hand and forearm in 2008.
Since then he has tried various prostheses, but the £10,000 Hero Arm is the first which allows him to paint, bake and play with little Sky.
He said he has a “new lease of life”. Adding: “I’m so happy. I can hug my daughter and play games with her in a way I have never been able to before.
“One of the most emotional moments was holding my daughter’s hand with my right hand for the first time. As a dad, that means an awful lot.”
Sensors in the bionic limb detect electrical signals from Darren’s muscles, which are converted into hand movements. Made by Bristol-based firm Open Bionics, it was funded with help from NHS Veterans’ Prosthetics Panel and veterans’ charity Blesma.
Darren was a Parachute Regiment Section Commander who did tours in Northern Ireland, Macedonia and Iraq. He was medically discharged in 2014 and lives with wife Annmarie, 43, and Sky in Colchester, Essex.
He said of his new limb: “It’s amazing. I can make the smallest movements. Hopefully I’m the first of many to get a Hero Arm.”
It comes after war hero James Rose vowed to climb Kilimanjaro, despite losing both legs in Afghanistan.
The 31-year-old, who has also battled post-traumatic stress, has waged an inspiring campaign to recover his fitness.
His efforts were recognised when he was selected to join Team GB at Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in Sydney last year – winning silver and bronze medals in the sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
Now he is setting his sights higher with plans to conquer Africa’s highest mountain, thanks to support from the Sunday People and TV tycoon Duncan Bannatyne.
James aims to be the first double amputee military veteran to climb 19,308ft Kilimanjaro using prosthetic limbs.
And his training is being done under a free membership at a gym in one of Bannatyne’s health clubs, donated after the businessman and former serviceman threw his weight behind our Save Our Soldiers campaign.
James said: “I can’t thank Duncan and the Sunday People enough.
“When you go to the gym and work out it makes you feel like you can do anything in the world.
“It makes you feel like a completely different person.
“The impact on your mental health is just massive.
“When I first lost my legs I couldn’t see past my hospital bed. I couldn’t imagine ever being able to do any of the outdoors activities I loved ever again.
“But fast-forward ten years and I’m about to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. “If you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything.”
