Oswaldtwistle boy receives bionic limb thanks to fundraiser

Alexander Sparks, seven, received his Open Bionics arm, which is aesthetically inspired by Marvel movie Black Panther.

His mum, Dionne Sparks, started fundraising for the arm in May and aimed to raise £13,000.

Alexander Sparks (Image: Dionne Sparks)

James Anderson, a charity plumber and founder of Depher CIC, donated £12,699 so Alex could get his arm.

Dionne said Alexander’s face “lit up” when he unboxed it.

She said: “When he opened the box I don’t think Alex knew what to say. His face was a picture and his eyes lit up.

"He was really excited and he is in love with it.”

Alexander Sparks with his bionic limb (Image: Dionne Sparks)

The St Andrew’s Primary School even dressed as superhero character Black Panther, for a photoshoot with the arm.

Dionne said the prosthetic arm, which has moving fingers, will change his life.

She said: “He looks like an ‘everyday kid’ and is now able to do so many more things that he wasn’t able to do before.

“He passed us a ball in the training process and he will get a sticker on an app for every milestone he hits.

“He can hold things, he can throw he can lift a cup to his mouth – just little things that we would take for granted.

“He now has to build muscle and arm strength but it’s crazy how quickly he has adapted to it.”

Alexander Sparks as a baby (Image: Dionne Sparks)

Dionne said one of Alexander’s dreams is to go fishing with his dad and reel in the fish by himself.

She said: “He really wants to go fishing this summer but he will need a lot of training before that.

“When he is older and builds his confidence I think he will surprise us and be able to do more than we think and gain more confidence than ever he has before.

“He is looking forward to showing his arm off when he goes back to school.”

The arm cost £12,699 and the cost covers any damages or repairs for the next three years. After that the family will have to fund the maintenance costs themselves.

They have kept their fundraiser open for anyone who wants to make a donation towards these costs.

Dionne said: “I want to thank everyone who helped us fundraise, especially James and [Carl Everitt, co-owner of ice hockey team the Blackburn Hawks, who put us in touch with Depher].

“His fundraiser is still open as the money raised will go towards repair fees and different coloured covers.”

To make a donation to the fundraiser visit the family’s GoFundMe here:www.gofundme.com/f/can-you-help-bionical-maintain-his-hero-arm