Bullies used to make Enas Saeed want to hide away because she
had no left hand.
But she overcame their cruelty and is now the proud owner of a robotic arm that makes her feel like a superhero.
Enas raised £10,000 in just four months to buy her ‘Hero Arm’ from UK firm, Open Bionics.
Now she loves to be seen wearing the cutting-edge limb, which reminds her of bionic-armed Marvel sleuth Misty Knight, played by Simone Missick in TV shows Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Defenders.
Enas, who got her Hero Arm last month, said: “It’s very futuristic. Every time I see it I’m like, ‘Wow!’ I feel like Misty Knight.”
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Sensors in the Hero Arm detect electric sig-nals from Enas’ muscles and convert them into movements. “It makes such a difference,” she said. “Carrying things in both hands is game-changing.”
Enas, 30, of Leeds, was born with a congenital limb deficiency that meant her left arm stopped below the elbow.
She gave up wearing ill-fitting NHS prosthetics at senior school – but then the bullying began.
One cruel pupil even spat at Enas and told her to put her “disgusting” arm away.
She said: “When people challenge the way you look, it can break a lot inside of you. I hid my arm in my pocket. I’d never go to the gym or swim.”
Enas regained her confidence at university and when she saw sci-fi film I Robot, she told mum Safia that she wanted a robot hand.
Her family thought it was just a fantasy – until Enas saw the Hero Arm in a video last year.
The NHS told her there was a “40-year waiting list” so she contacted Open Bionics in Bristol direct.
They told her about crowdfunding, which she started in Sep-tember. It is hoped the Hero Arm will one day be available through the NHS.
Enas, who is now studying to be a counsellor, said: “All the bad things I went through made me stronger. If I can help people who grow up looking different, then that’s great.”
