Hailey Dawson knows she was born different, and she wants to make it known. And she’s on her way, garnering attention from Major League Baseball fans all around the country.
Hailey has always loved baseball. And at just 5 years old, she threw out the first pitch for the Orioles with her robotic 3D-printed hand.
Since then, she’s been on a mission: Throw the first pitch for every MLB team. And with her first pitch at Angel Stadium earlier this week, she accomplished an incredible first: She became the first person to throw out a first pitch at all 30 MLB parks.
Hailey Dawson has pledged to use her 3D-printed hand to throw the first pitch for every Major League Baseball team. On Tuesday, it was Toronto’s turn. #TheMoment pic.twitter.com/QfyPbt6Hxj
— CBC News: The National (@CBCTheNational) August 8, 2018
At the start of her journey, she said that she wanted to prove to others “if I can do it, you can do it.”
The now 8-year-old was born with Poland syndrome, a genetic defect that causes underdevelopment of the chest muscles on one side of the body. Due to this defect, Hailey is missing a pectoral muscle and three fingers in her right hand. Years ago, her family partnered with the College of Engineering at UNLV to create a new hand using a 3D printer, and are now raising money for the university to create and donate hands similar to hers.
Hailey and her mom recently told Mashable that now that her dream has come true, they have a new goal: Use the community they’ve built to spread awareness about affordable prosthetic hands, and make them readily available to those who need them.
