The dream of every parent is to always be there when your child needs you, protecting him and giving him your love as he grows up and becomes an independent being, capable of facing life and the obstacles it throws at him. However, sometimes things do not go as planned and not even parents can meet the needs of their children.

This was what Michael Campos felt the day his little boy, who had been born without his right forearm, asked for a new hand. Devastated that he couldn’t give his son a real hand so he could fulfill his wish to be like other kids, this loving dad swore he’d find a way to build him an arm, AD and that’s exactly what he did.

Carter’s congenital amputation began to develop when her mom was 12 weeks pregnant. It was at that moment that the doctors noticed, thanks to the echosonogram, that the limb was not developing normally.

“A doctor came up to us and explained that in the best case scenario, Carter would be born without a right hand and in the worst case, without a right arm.” Remember Michael, from California, United States.

The doctors had no explanation for little Carter’s condition; the arm simply stopped developing when it was in its mother’s tummy.

“We were devastated, worried about how badly this would affect him, and saddened to think of all the battles he would have to face.”

However, Carter soon showed what he was made of and being born without a limb did not prevent him from leading a normal life. In his own way, this adorable boy learned to adapt to overcome basic everyday obstacles, such as holding a bottle as a baby or buttoning his pants without help as an adult.

“It was very hard at first to witness his struggle, as he learned to perform certain tasks, but once he figured out how to do it, it was a moment of absolute joy and, above all, of the utmost pride for him.”

When his son asked for a new hand, Michael didn’t know how he could help him, but he promised he would just the same. It was then that, in an effort to find a solution to Carter’s problem, he stumbled upon e-Nable, a group of volunteers who create free prosthetic designs for 3D printing.

After making the first model that consisted of an adapter for Carter to ride a bicycle, Michael built a prosthesis just as his son dreamed of it: “he wanted an Iron Man hand. I spent hours printing the parts to give it the right shine, I managed to make it glow in the dark and even added a fidget spinner to it.”

“He loves his new hand and seeing that smile on his face is something I will remember for the rest of my life.”

But Carter’s new hand was only the beginning of what would later become the most beautiful project. Since learning to 3D print from home, Michael and Carter have created a company called Claws from Carter.

Now they build prosthetics, of different motifs like sports teams or superheroes, for other kids who, like Carter, have no arms.

Claws from Carter’s prosthetics are designed so that their quality and beauty are inversely proportional to the cost of production, which does not exceed $50. These pieces are completely free and have already been shipped to children across the United States and have even made their way to the United Kingdom.

This all happened thanks to Carter, if it hadn’t been for him I would be indifferent to this condition, to 3D printing and the help it could offer other families.”

“I think what happened to my son was all for a reason: Carter was born to enlighten me so that I could give something to the world by making these hands.”

The happiness of these children is absolutely heartwarming and it’s all thanks to Michael!

“Everything I do is in the name of my son. I do it for him and I hope that when he grows up he can take over too.”