Girl born without hand gets Princess Tiana bionic arm at Disney World
A nine-year-old born without a hand got a special Princess Tiana bionic arm on a trip to Disney World.
Nathalie Ferreira, 35, found out she was pregnant with her daughter, Elisa Ynafante Ferreira, aged nine, in 2014.
During her pregnancy, a scan showed that Elisa was missing a hand and doctors wouldn't know if she was missing any other limbs until she was born.
Nathalie said she was scared throughout her pregnancy until Elisa was born on January 23, 2015 where she had no further defects.
Elise learned to do everything with one hand but in May 2024 got a bionic arm.
In June 2024, Elise was told she was going for a clinical check up.
Instead Elise who is a huge fan on Princess Tiana received a new Disney Princess themed sleeve for her arm and a once in a life time trip to Disney World, Florida.
Nathalie, a surgical dental assistant, from Atlanta, Georgia, said: "I went to a scan and they couldn't see past her wrist.
"They sent me for a second scan and they told me she was missing her hand and that they didn't know if that was it or she would be missing other limbs.
"It was really scary, not only were they telling me that she doesn't have a hand but they don't know what else she might be missing until she is born.
"Once she was born and everything was great."
Nathalie said that Elisa learned to do everything with one hand but there were some thinks like riding a bike and going to scouts that she struggled with.
She said: "She has learned to do everything with one hand but there are things that are easier with two hands.
"It was harder for her than it was for other girls, Elisa loves riding a bike and going outside.
"I wanted her to have something that she could use that was helpful for her."
Nathalie contacted Open Bionics when Elisa was six years old but was told she was not old enough for a bionic arm
But, Nathalie got a call before her eighth birthday inviting her and her mum down to Colorado.
Nathalie said: "We went there to try the different arms, she got measured up and they taught her how to use the arm.
"Three weeks later we went back and Elisa got her arm with a Frozen sleeve as she loves Disney."
In June 2024, a year after getting her bionic arm, Elisa was surprised to a once in a lifetime trip to Disney World where she was given a new Princess Tiana sleeve.
Whilst she was there, Elise got to meet her favourite Disney Princess and be the first person to ride the new Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction.
Nathalie said: "She was really excited about her new arm cover.
"They have us the Princess treatment, they got her presents, a Tiana outfit, dresses and a crown.
"Whilst we were there we got to ride the new rollercoaster and meet a lot of awesome people."
Emily Shannon, who is an Open Bionics clinician, delivered Elisa’s new look and performed her check-in. Emily said: “We are all so happy to be able to work with Disney to deliver these magical moments for our patients.
"We want our Hero Arm users to know that their limb difference is their superpower and plays a part in what makes them special.
"Over the years we have been so grateful to be able to surprise children who wear Hero Arms to red carpet events, movie premieres, backstage experiences, and meeting Disney talent.”
“I know our users love this collaboration and the demand for us to create more Disney inspired Hero Arms is high.”
Nathalie Ferreira, 35, found out she was pregnant with her daughter, Elisa Ynafante Ferreira, aged nine, in 2014.
During her pregnancy, a scan showed that Elisa was missing a hand and doctors wouldn't know if she was missing any other limbs until she was born.
Nathalie said she was scared throughout her pregnancy until Elisa was born on January 23, 2015 where she had no further defects.
Elise learned to do everything with one hand but in May 2024 got a bionic arm.
In June 2024, Elise was told she was going for a clinical check up.
Instead Elise who is a huge fan on Princess Tiana received a new Disney Princess themed sleeve for her arm and a once in a life time trip to Disney World, Florida.
Nathalie, a surgical dental assistant, from Atlanta, Georgia, said: "I went to a scan and they couldn't see past her wrist.
"They sent me for a second scan and they told me she was missing her hand and that they didn't know if that was it or she would be missing other limbs.
"It was really scary, not only were they telling me that she doesn't have a hand but they don't know what else she might be missing until she is born.
"Once she was born and everything was great."
Nathalie said that Elisa learned to do everything with one hand but there were some thinks like riding a bike and going to scouts that she struggled with.
She said: "She has learned to do everything with one hand but there are things that are easier with two hands.
"It was harder for her than it was for other girls, Elisa loves riding a bike and going outside.
"I wanted her to have something that she could use that was helpful for her."
Nathalie contacted Open Bionics when Elisa was six years old but was told she was not old enough for a bionic arm
But, Nathalie got a call before her eighth birthday inviting her and her mum down to Colorado.
Nathalie said: "We went there to try the different arms, she got measured up and they taught her how to use the arm.
"Three weeks later we went back and Elisa got her arm with a Frozen sleeve as she loves Disney."
In June 2024, a year after getting her bionic arm, Elisa was surprised to a once in a lifetime trip to Disney World where she was given a new Princess Tiana sleeve.
Whilst she was there, Elise got to meet her favourite Disney Princess and be the first person to ride the new Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction.
Nathalie said: "She was really excited about her new arm cover.
"They have us the Princess treatment, they got her presents, a Tiana outfit, dresses and a crown.
"Whilst we were there we got to ride the new rollercoaster and meet a lot of awesome people."
Emily Shannon, who is an Open Bionics clinician, delivered Elisa’s new look and performed her check-in. Emily said: “We are all so happy to be able to work with Disney to deliver these magical moments for our patients.
"We want our Hero Arm users to know that their limb difference is their superpower and plays a part in what makes them special.
"Over the years we have been so grateful to be able to surprise children who wear Hero Arms to red carpet events, movie premieres, backstage experiences, and meeting Disney talent.”
“I know our users love this collaboration and the demand for us to create more Disney inspired Hero Arms is high.”
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FunTranscript
00:00Okay. Anybody want one?
00:07I'll take it.
00:09Nice.
00:11Thank you.
00:13You're welcome.
00:30You're welcome.
01:00My name is Alisa, and I'm from Georgia.
01:24I'm excited to show my friends my new cover because it's Tiana, and I like Tiana.
01:31So Tiana is strong like me because she faces all her dreams and tries to make them come true.
01:44So at the beginning, when they first told me she was going to be born like that, it was really scary.
01:50I didn't have a lot of information about it.
01:55First thing, we went, you know, locally.
01:57We went to a clinic, and we got to see the options that they have.
02:00But what they were offering was more like prosthetic that just, like, for pictures.
02:07I was looking more for something she could use, she can do stuff with it.
02:13We loved that they had the Disney options.
02:16We knew as soon as we got there that we were going to pick a Disney one.
02:20Really, it's going to be great for Alisa.
02:23And she already loves it, and we're not even there yet.
02:28I think she's going to enjoy seeing Princess Tiana and showing her her new arm cover.
02:36She's really excited about that.