Amputee fitted with bionic limb - 35 years after accidentally shooting himself with a shotgun
A man left who lost his right arm after accidentally shooting himself with a shotgun when he was just a toddler has finally been fitted with a bionic limb.
Ryan Backos, now 38, blasted himself in the chest and arm when he was just three years old.
Despite numerous operations and a lengthy spell in hospital surgeons were forced to amputate his badly damaged right arm.
Ryan adapted to life with one arm over the years, but was left unable to do simple tasks such as using a knife and fork at the same time.
Now 35 years after the accident at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ryan has finally been fitted with a bionic arm and now has the use of two hands.
He's been fitted with a custom-made bionic arm which cost £9,500, and uses myoelectric sensors which detect underlying muscular contractions.
The contractions are then amplified and converted into hand movements.
Delighted Ryan said: "It's always been a dream of mine to have two hands.
"Now that I've got it, I'm able to go the supermarket and push the trolley with my right hand and look at the shopping list on my phone on my left hand.
"It's just the small things that have made an incredible difference.
"Before I would have to push the trolley, then stop and look at my phone, then put my phone back in my pocket and carry on pushing the trolley.
"I then ended up forgetting things because I wasn't able to look at my phone all the time.
"I can now lock my hand into a position of holding something and I could actually push the trolley while checking everything on my phone.
"I could even grab things off the shelf while still having my hand attached to the trolley.
"It's just made a phenomenal difference."
Ryan, who has had his new arm for around two weeks, is now able to do things he could never do before like using a steak knife.
And he says the 'life-changing' arm has helped him complete every day tasks that he'd previously struggle with such as pick up a bottle.
Ryan said: "I've not been able to drive with it yet as I'm quite a big person so my chair doesn't go far enough back.
"The arm is in the way, so I'm still getting used to it to be then able to use it for driving.
"I'm just practicing with it in my day to day life.
"I've been able to pick up a bottle and pick up a ball and throw it so it's just the small things.
"I'll be able to use a steak knife in the future when I do have a steak.
"I also couldn't use a knife and fork at the same time so it's just small things like that that I've not been able to do before. It's just helping me mentally."
Ryan discovered Open Bionics during the pandemic, and began raising money to get a new arm but sadly he didn't reach his goal due to COVID.
He then started a new role as a field account manager at Amazon and his manager suggested that he should re-start the crowdfunding campaign.
After receiving donations from family and friends, he was able to purchase his new arm which he's described as something that's 'taking a lot of getting used to.'
Ryan said: "I absolutely enjoy it but it is taking a lot of getting used to.
"Because I've not had a hand and I've been heavier on my left side, I've developed two curvatures in my spine.
"This is from always using my left hand so my shoulder and arm on my left side are built up but on my right side it's not so I get back pain.
"I plan to use my bionic arm as much as possible, so it will build up my shoulder.
"I know it will never fix it, but it will correct it a little bit."
Ryan was brought up in South Africa, which he said was 'hard and challenging' as a lot of people teased him for having one arm.
He then moved to the south of Portugal, where his family are from, at the age of 20 and he moved to the UK six years ago where he still lives now in Widnes, Cheshire.
Ryan said: "It was hard and challenging as a lot of people teased me.
"It was quite difficult but I always tried to look on the positive side.
"I used to say to them that what they could do with two hands, I could do it with one.
"But it was difficult, unfortunately that's just kids for you and I was teased all through school which was quite hard.
"Obviously when I got older, I got bigger and they didn't actually see a point in doing it then."
Samantha Payne MBE, co-founder of Open Bionics has said that 'Ryan's story is incredible' and she is 'thrilled' that he's got his new arm.
She said: "Ryan's story is incredible.
"We're thrilled that after a lifetime of waiting for an advanced bionic arm he has received his Hero Arm and is making great use of it.
"Open Bionics wants to bring this technology to amputees in many more countries, if you'd like to support us please consider investing in our Crowdcube campaign which launches today."
相關影片推薦
- 1:26女長期睡機場又大鬧國門 不聽勸阻遭警驅離東森新聞影音222,725 次觀看・22 小時前
- 1:50背刺青「要器捐」 老兵捐心.肝.腎 助4患者TVBS新聞網影音36,027 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:56新北議會衝突!陳明義兒2022選同區 早與蔣根煌結樑子民視影音97,672 次觀看・2 天前
- 1:26婚後婆媳相處狀況曝光 林志玲:我是灰姑娘|#鏡新聞鏡新聞65,749 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:26白蟻研究重大突破! 興大證實首次發現雜交混種白蟻民視影音17,621 次觀看・20 小時前
- 1:09《淚之女王》即將大結局!預告搶先看 金秀賢一句話讓金智媛瞬間愣住了娛樂星聞4,242 次觀看・17 小時前
- 1:33日本明星公河馬是「女兒身」 天王寺動物園養七年才發現Yahoo奇摩(國際通)77,102 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:446歲女童站機車踏板出門 車禍釀脾臟破裂內出血|#鏡新聞鏡新聞25,941 次觀看・18 小時前
- 1:20退伍軍人暈倒送醫赫見背刺「捐器官」願望 遺愛助四人民視影音41,523 次觀看・1 天前
熱門必看
- 12:45心理測驗:你愛上同性的機率?唐老師一時口誤節目差點變18禁!?Ep.215-2唐綺陽談星室26,669 次觀看・3 天前
- 14:25昏暗老公寓化身質感美宅 空間感、採光起死回生簡直魔法Yahoo創作摩人4,264 次觀看・1 天前
- 0:18傳承老一輩甜品作法,最純粹的美味!板橋Edenx食旅19,637 次觀看・3 天前
- 16:22『橫濱一日遊』帥爆!見鋼彈最後一面!人也排到爆的橫濱家系拉麵!生日圓夢之旅最終章!戴妮塔 Nita & Dai's Daily2,555 次觀看・7 小時前
- 31:57【日本自由行】大阪→廣島5天4夜完整攻略🤩萬博紀念公園、姬路城、嚴島神社、和平紀念公園、廣島紙鶴塔、岡山倉敷美觀、大倉酒店、八天堂|日本旅遊・Japan 4K vlog吉田社長交朋友10,214 次觀看・4 天前