Amputee Star Wars Fan Receives R2-D2 Inspired Bionic Arm and a Call from Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill's days as Luke Skywalker may now be over but that doesn't stop the actor from being a hero.

An 11-yeard-old amputee and Star Wars fan named Bella Tadlock raised almost $14,000 for her bionic hero arm by Bristol company Open Bionics. She started a fundraiser that caught Hamill's eye around November, which the actor then shared on his Twitter account.

After a successful fundraising campaign, Tadlock became the first person in the U.S. to actually get an advanced multi-grip arm. Not to mention that the design is inspired to that of the iconic Star Wars character, R2-D2.

She showed off her bionic arm to her hero, Luke Skywalker, in a Skype call where she demonstrated picking up a bottle with her new hand, as well exchanging a couple of "OK" signs with Hamill himself. "This is great - that is so fantastic," the actor told the young fan. "I'm so happy that you were able to have this happen for you."

Hamill, whose character also got a bionic hand, answered some questions that the fan had about the Star Wars universe. As for the bionic arm itself, it works by picking up signals from muscles in the residual limb. The company based in Bristol had a royalty-free licensing agreement with Lucasfilm to make the adorable R2-D2 design for the bionic arm.

The young fan was born without fingers on her right hand, and her left arm was shorter than her right. Now, Tadlock says she'll finally be able to ride her bike, cook in the kitchen, and be like her friends. "To be able to bend my fingers and pick up things is a dream come true," she said.

via iTV.com

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