An 84-year-old grandmother has become the oldest person in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm after tragically losing the limb to cancer.
When Christa Seubert, from Würzburg, Germany, first noticed discomfort in her arm in early 2022, she initially thought she had a blocked carpal tunnel.
She visited a doctor and ultimately underwent two operations, but the problem was far from fixed – with her right hand instead becoming extremely inflamed.
“Then suddenly, overnight, a lump appeared between my thumb and my index finger,” Christa said.
Doctors quickly determined that Christa had cancer and she began chemotherapy in May 2022.
However, the aggressive nature of the cancer meant the chemotherapy failed – leaving doctors with no choice but to amputate her arm in order to save her life.
“It was very, very aggressive,” Christa said. “There was no choice. This happened on 3 January.”
Although grateful for the work of those at Erlangen University Hospital, Christa struggled following the amputation.
She had always been very active, enjoying hobbies such as gardening, handicrafts, cycling, and walking her dog, Charley, and she found it difficult to reclaim her independence after she lost her arm.
“Simple daily activities became challenging, even cutting a load of bread and buttering it on my own,” Christa explained.
But all of that changed when she was fitted with a Hero Arm by Open Bionics. The UK firm founded in 2014 specializes in advanced, lightweight, 3D printed bionic arms.
Just an hour after her appointment, she was able to use her new bionic arm to take Charley for a walk – and to enjoy a hot chocolate along the bank of the River Main.
“Now, I’ll be able to butter a piece of bread on my own, cut a slice of cheese, cut an apple and hold it without it always slipping away,” Christa said.
“I won’t have to ask for anything and everything anymore.”
APT Prothesen chief product officer Mathias Stegemann, who fitted Christa’s new bionic arm, said he recommended the Hero Arm for her as it is lightweight and easy to use.
He explained: “The Hero Arm has big advantages – the ease of use, the very low weight compared to other prosthetic fittings, and the ease of putting it on and taking it off.
“I think this will allow her to enjoy her independence.”
The Hero Arm uses myoelectric sensors which detect underlying muscular contractions generated from specific muscle groups in the arm.
These are then amplified and converted to intuitive and proportional bionic hand movements.
The company uses technologies such as 3D printing and 3D scanning to ensure each Hero Arm is custom-built and bespoke to the user.
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
