Girl with 3D-printed hand ready to throw first pitch at Game 4

Source: Instagram (@haileys_hand) Browse through the photos for more of Hailey and her family from her Instagram page. Source: Instagram (@haileys_hand) Browse through the photos for more of Hailey and her family from her Instagram page. Photo: Instagram (@haileys_hand) Photo: Instagram (@haileys_hand) Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Girl with 3D-printed hand ready to throw first pitch at Game 4 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

Back in September, we told you about Hailey Dawson, a 7-year-old girl with a 3D printed hand and a dream to throw out the first pitch at every MLB ballpark.

To recap: Bleacher Report tweeted a video introducing us to Hailey, a bunch of MLB teams responded and within a week it was decided that Hailey would throw out the first pitch at Game 4 of the World Series.

As it turns out, the Astros are hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game 4, so the next ballpark Hailey will get to cross off her list is Minute Maid Park.

7-year-old Hailey Dawson wants to throw out the first pitch at every MLB ballpark with her 3-D printed hand pic.twitter.com/onStqhEzyB — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 7, 2017

In a story on the Las Vegas Review Journal, Betsy Helfand wrote that Hailey is "excited, not nervous for the big opportunity."

Hailey was born with Poland Syndrome, a rare birth defect that led to he being born without three of her fingers on one of her hands.

Doctors told Hailey's mother, Yong Dawson, that Hailey could be fitted with a custom prosthetic hand when she was older. Such prosthetics can cost upwards of $25,000—a hefty sum, especially for a child who would likely go through multiple prosthetics as she grows.

Hailey's mother found plans for a 3D printed hand online, and then she was able to get the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to create the prosthetic using Stratasys 3D printing solutions.

The look on her face. So cute. This was the first robotic hand Hailey received back in 2014. #haileyshand #polandsyndrome #flexyhand2 #cute #kidmodel #unlv #unlvengineering A post shared by Hailey Dawson (@haileys_hand) on Sep 2, 2017 at 8:38am PDT

UNLV's Mechanical Engineering Department Chair, Dr. Brendan O'Toole, has continued working with the Dawsons since accepting the prosthetic as a department project in 2014.

Had UNLV not taken on the project, Hailey might not have had a functional prosthetic until she was in high school.

When Hailey tested out her first robotic flexy hand 2 back in 2014. Can’t believe we’ve come such a long way. #unlv #unlvengineering #3dprinting #polandsyndrome #haileyshand #journeyto30 A post shared by Hailey Dawson (@haileys_hand) on Sep 25, 2017 at 8:08am PDT

In a press release issued on Thursday, Hailey's mother said not only is this about supporting her daughter's goals, but also to help other children who have Poland syndrome.

"I want people to know they can get help from someone who understands 3D printing," She said. "A hand can be built for under $2,000, and maybe as cheaply as $200. It's the perfect solution for children, who could out-grow several prosthetic hands before they stop growing. There are 3D printing companies out there who can build a hand for you, or a local school's engineering program may be willing to help."

And while Hailey's hand works well right now, the UNLV team isn't done working on ways to improve it.

"The current hand design is good, but we're looking at ways to improve it," said Dr. O'Toole in a press release. "One student is designing a more optimal, more functional thumb with improved dexterity and gripping power. Another student is working on a way to make the individual fingers flex more independently. And a third student is researching ways the device could be motorized.

Hailey has already thrown at opening pitches at Nationals Park and Camden Yards and she has standing invitations from every other MLB team.

Hailey Dawson, a 7-year-old pitching prospect and your new personal hero, threw out yesterday's 1st pitch with her 3D-printed robotic hand! pic.twitter.com/wCL9xHRt1O — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 12, 2017

Game 4 is scheduled to begin at 7:09 p.m. Saturday on FOX so be sure to tune in to see Hailey throw out the first pitch.

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Browse through the photos above for more of Hailey and her family from her Instagram page.