The remarkable progress made possible by 3D printing are perhaps too great in number to count. But it's stories like that of Hailey Dawson that remind us just how integral these incredible scientific advancements are to improving countless lives.
Five-year-old Hailey was born without a fully developed right hand, the result of a birth defect from Poland syndrome. A few years ago, her mother read of the possibility for 3D printing to allow Hailey a chance at near-full mobility. Hailey was fitted with a robotic hand a short time later.
Her father Gregory Dawson, an officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, told CNN affiliate WHAG that things were difficult for Hailey at first. "You would go out to dinner and you would see kids tapping their parents and pointing towards her," he said. "She doesn't know any differently, because she's had that from her birth so she's adapting."
But just this week, Hailey stood atop the pitcher's mound at an Orioles game and threw the first ball — with her right hand.
"There hasn't been anything, really, that she hasn't been able to do," her mother, Yong Dawson, added. "She's just your typical 5-year-old, you know — playing in the dirt, having fun, riding her bike."
Yong told CNN that she never never dreamed her daughter would have this opportunity, now possible with her new robotic hand. "She loved it," she said.
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