One of the hardest things to accomplish as a human is to develop the constant awareness to be grateful for the things we have. Sure, every once in a while we feel very grateful for what we have, however; that feeling is usually triggered when we are confronted by someone or a situation that shows us what it is like to lack something we have had all along. When that happens we realize we take things for granted. This morning I found the story of a 9 year old girl from Fayetteville, Arkansas that made me realize that I take the use of my hands for granted.

Nathalie Carney was born without a left hand. Nathalie was born with a congenital abnormality known as Symbrachydactyly, which is characterized by "nubbins", small stumps where the finger would have developed on the hand. Symbrachydactyly results when one or more fingers fail to form properly during embryonic development. Although at the moment it is not possible to determine what causes symbrachydactyly, it is not believed to be caused by hereditary conditions. Symbrachydactyly occurs in approximately one out of every 32,000 births and in most cases like Nathalie’s only one hand is affected.

Most children born with symbrachidactyly are able to adapt and live a fully functional life. Symbrachydactyly is treated in a case by case basis, some treatments for symbrachidactyly include surgery and in other cases no surgery is needed. In Nathalie Carney’s case, thanks to Hanger Prosthetics in Springdale and The Inner Wheel, a nonprofit organization, she now has a myoelectric prosthetic arm which will allow her the use of both hands to hold objects and even ride a bicycle as Nathalie said!
 

Read about Nathalie Carney’s entire story