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Swavesey boy, 7, leads fundraising campaign for Hero Arm

Hannah Morgan/PA Wire Louie Morgan-KempHannah Morgan/PA Wire
Seven-year-old Louie Morgan-Kemp said he dreamt of doing "stuff other children can do"

A boy who was born without a right hand has been leading a fundraising campaign for a robotic arm, so he "can do stuff other children can do".

Seven-year-old Louie Morgan-Kemp, from Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, said the so-called "Hero Arm" would "make me have more confidence".

The 3D-printed prosthetic limb, built by Open Bionics, costs £13,000.

Louie's mother, Hannah Morgan, said: "I suppose it's stuff we don't think about that we take for granted."

Ms Morgan, 32, a teaching assistant, said Louie wanted to be able to pour his own drink without spilling it, to carry objects in two hands and not have to balance items against his chest.

"He's always been really resilient and he's made most things work one-handed or he's found his own way to do things, but he was meant to be right-handed," she said.

"When he went to reach for things, he went with his right hand which obviously he hasn't got."

Hannah Morgan/PA Wire Louie and sistersHannah Morgan/PA Wire
Louie with his sisters, Madyson (right) and Scarlett

She said they had tried "loads of different prosthetics, NHS ones, charity-funded ones", but none worked for him.

"The NHS one was like a mannequin hand that didn't do anything and the charity ones were quite heavy for him," said Ms Morgan.

She told how Louie was "amazed" after seeing the Hero Arm at a roadshow last month.

It features multi-grip functions and wrist rotation, with special superhero sleeve covers for children.

Open Bionics Hero ArmOpen Bionics
The Hero Arm features multi-grip and wrist rotation for people with below-elbow limb difference

The family enquired about the arm when Louie was two years old, but were told he would not qualify until the age of seven.

Ms Morgan said: "He [Louie] said, 'I'll be able to hold two things with two hands and be able to do stuff that other children do'."

Football fan Louie, who supports Ipswich Town and Tottenham Hotspur, also plays for a local team, coached by his father Scott Kemp.

More than £2,000 of donations have been pledged since the "Lend Louie A Hand" GoFundMe campaign began on Friday.

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