O.C. in her school uniform, beaming with joy, pink prosthetic arm at her side, Abuja Nigeria

Case 010 · January – April 2026

O.C.

Abuja, Nigeria

A 5-year-old girl whose case had been waiting over a year for someone to say yes. She wore her new arm to school.

Age at time 5 years old

Limb difference Right arm, below elbow

Device Kinetic Arm, 57.5% scale

Arms sent Two: pink and purple/yellow

The Story

A case no one had answered

O.'s case was posted on the e-NABLE hub in December 2024. She was four years old, born with a right limb difference below the elbow. Her father Phil submitted her measurements and photos and waited. Months passed. No volunteer had taken the case.

In January 2026, I was going through older e-NABLE requests that had never been fulfilled. I came across O.'s profile and reached out to Phil directly. He replied the same day. He said he had been away for work when the case was first posted and had hoped someone would still come through. He was glad I had found it.

I told him I was happy to make her an arm. I asked what color she would like. He wrote back right away: "She loves pink."

A small challenge with a simple fix

When Phil sent O.'s measurements, he mentioned something important: there was a slight curvature at the tip of her residual limb. He wasn't sure if it would affect the design. I wanted to make sure the arm would actually fit.

My solution was to make two versions of the inner gauntlet cover: one standard, and one with a cutout shaped to accommodate the curve. I printed both, assembled two complete arms, and shipped them both to Abuja so Phil and O. could try each one and keep whichever worked better. Both arms are at 57.5% scale, sized for a young child's proportions.

I had school exams during the build, which slowed me down a little. I shipped both arms on February 19, 2026.

O.C. as a young girl in a pink dress, reaching up against a wall

O.C. in Abuja, photo shared by her father Phil when he submitted the case

O.'s full arm and residual limb photographed side by side with a ruler, showing the curvature at the tip

Measurement photo, January 2026. The slight curve at the tip of the residual limb is visible.

Measurements & Fit

Sizing for a five-year-old

Phil sent detailed photos with a ruler alongside O.'s hand and residual limb. The curvature he mentioned was clear from the photos: the tip of her residual limb curves slightly downward. I designed around it by printing a modified inner cover with a relief cutout, so the socket sits flush without putting pressure on the tip. Because she is young and still growing, I printed at 57.5% of the standard Kinetic Arm dimensions.

O.'s residual limb photographed alongside a ruler, clearly showing the curved tip

Both of O.'s arms photographed side by side with a ruler for comparison

O.C. photographed from behind in a pink dress, arms raised, at the time of her original case submission

Device Kinetic Arm

Side Right

Scale 57.5%

Arms sent 2

Hand length 13.5 cm

Residual limb 13 cm

Elbow width 5.7 cm

Special fit Curved tip

Build Process

Printing two arms

I printed all components in pink PLA for the first arm. For the second arm I used purple and yellow, and modified the inner gauntlet cover with a cutout to fit the curve in O.'s residual limb tip. The first attempt at the purple gauntlet ended in a tangle of spaghetti filament at two in the morning. I scraped it off the bed and started again. Both finished arms were assembled, strapped, and packed together before shipping.

The Creality printer working on a yellow component for O.'s arms, filament visible mid-print

A good purple gauntlet next to a failed one covered in loose filament, sitting side by side on the work table

The modified purple and yellow socket showing the cutout designed to fit the curve of O.'s residual limb

The Finished Arms

Two arms, both pink at heart

She asked for pink, so the first arm is coral pink with white velcro straps. The second arm is purple and yellow, a different color combination but with the same goal: give O. options and let her decide what feels right. Both are fully assembled Kinetic Arms at 57.5% scale, complete with finger strings and elbow strapping.

The finished pink Kinetic Arm fully assembled, shown from the front

Arm 1 · Coral pink · Standard inner cover

The finished purple and yellow Kinetic Arm standing upright, showing the modified inner cover

Arm 2 · Purple and yellow · Modified cover for curved residual limb

Both completed Kinetic Arms standing upright side by side on white fabric, fingers open, pink on the left and purple/yellow on the right

Both arms finished and ready to pack for Abuja · February 2026

The Outcome

She wore it to school.

O.C. holding up her pink prosthetic arm toward the camera, smiling, wearing a pink striped shirt

The arms arrived in Abuja on April 15, 2026. The e-NABLE website had been down for weeks, so Phil had no way to reach me. On April 19, I reached out directly through the phone number he had shared for the shipping. He responded within hours.

"Oh Laila. I have been checking the e-NABLE website but it's not working and there was no other way to reach you. Yes, we received it on the 15th of April and it's lovely. Olanna has tried both and they fit so well."

He then sent photos. O. wearing the pink arm, examining it, raising it up. And then the one that stopped me: O. in her school uniform, Barbie backpack on, using her pink arm to push open the school gate on her way in.

Laila smiling, holding both bubble-wrapped arms ready to ship to Abuja, February 2026

Shipping day, February 2026

O.C. from behind in school uniform and Barbie backpack, using her pink prosthetic arm to push open the school gate

O.C. in school uniform pointing proudly at her pink prosthetic arm

O.C. from behind in school uniform, reaching up with her prosthetic arm to open the school gate

O.C. raising the purple and yellow arm confidently, hand on hip, smiling

O.C. looking down at her pink prosthetic arm, examining how it works