Help fundraiser to build bionic woman
Beverley Gormley, 48, was born without a left arm below the elbow and needs at least £13,000 to cover the cost of the fully moving arm, created by Open Bionics of Bristol, along with fitting and warranty.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdShe explains: “Since the age of three I’ve worn various types of torture contraptions/prosthetic arms, from the hideous ‘split hook’ that left me with physical scars and lots of interesting nicknames, to an extremely heavy and impractical myoelectric arm.
“Now I wear a simple cosmetic, life-like arm that basically does nothing other than prop things up, steady the handlebars on my bike and makes a great pincushion on the odd occasion I need to thread a needle. It really holds me back and makes me self conscious.”
She said: “I’ve decided to start my ‘Hero Arm’ journey with Open Bionics to explore who Beverley v2.0 might actually be, and the prospect of wearing a prosthetic arm with moving fingers fills me with such excitement.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAs Beverley reaches milestones in her fundraising she intends to put donors’ names in a hat to win pieces of her artwork. She has raised £3,295 on her GoFundMe page within the space of just over a week.
She works as a heritage project manager and has always been involved in youth volunteering and spreads disability awareness among young men, women and children.
“In my spare time I play full contact roller derby and feel invincible as my alter ego Violet Impact,” said Beverley, who is a founding member of Team GB Junior Roller Derby and coached an under 18 team to the junior world cup in Philadelphia, USA.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“I’m at an age now where I can embrace and celebrate my difference, and my disability has made me the person that I am. But I want to be able to do the little things that most people take for granted.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.