The teenager with a Mercedes hand: Car firm grants £35,000 wish for disabled boy

 

Matthew James, who was born without his left hand, wrote to F1 Mercedes GP Petronas boss Ross Brawn asking for £35,000 to pay for a top-of-the range artificial one

There must be many a young boy who dreams of one day owning a Mercedes.

Formula One fan Matthew James, however, had a more specific ambition. He wanted the car company to help build him a new bionic hand.

Now, thanks to determination and a healthy dose of cheek, the 14-year-old has had his wish granted.

Matthew, who was born without his left hand, put his plan into action by writing to Ross Brawn, boss of F1 team Mercedes GP Petronas, asking for £35,000 to pay for a top-of-the range artificial one.

In return, the schoolboy said he would let the company sponsor the hand by putting the Mercedes logo on it – just like the adverts on F1 cars.

Rather than being put off by the precocious advance, Mercedes was touched by Matthew’s ‘intelligent and moving letter’ and agreed to help him raise the money he needed.

It also teamed up with prosthetics specialists Touch Bionics to create a customised i-LIMB Pulse – the most advanced technology of its type in the world.

The hand – strong enough to hold  a 14-stone load - is also so versatile that Matthew can grip a pen to draw pictures and write, tie his shoe laces and catch a ball. 

After it was fitted on Friday, the teenager - who lives with parents Rob, 44, and Tina, 42, in Wokingham, Berkshire - said: ‘It is just amazing. My old artificial hand had a pretty basic open-close mechanism similar to  a clamp.

‘But with this one I can do everything. It also looks really cool – the outer-shell is see-through so you can actually see the mechanics working. They are even going to put a little Mercedes badge by the wrist.’

Matthew travelled to the Touch Bionics headquarters in Livingston, Scotland, after the company agreed to waive its £25,000 fee to fit the hand and train him to use it.

He said: ‘I am actually looking forward to getting back to school so I can test it out.

‘I like science and am planning to go into engineering but I used to struggle with lab experiments. Now they should not be a problem.

‘I also love sport but anything that involves two hands, like cricket, has always been a struggle. Now I can compete with the other lads.’

After receiving Matthew’s letter in June, Mercedes invited him to its headquarters, where he toured the factory and met racing driver Michael Schumacher. 

The company is helping him raise the remaining £10,000 to pay for the device by asking fans and sponsors to donate.

Mr Brawn said: ‘Matthew’s letter to the team was very touching.

‘Looking closely at the i-LIMB Pulse, we realised how much our technologies in Formula One had in common with those used to create this cutting-edge prosthetic limb.’

The car company is now thought to be working on a new prototype limb with Touch Bionics.

Ruth Burns, of the prosthetics firm, said the hand’s technology allowed patients to experience a wide range of natural movement and could even feel vibrations.

She said: ‘The hand works by taking instructions from the muscles in the residual limb.

'Most patients find it hard to move the hand at first but Matthew has already progressed to several movements. He is very bright.’

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