Taylor Seely

The Arizona Republic

Jacob Taggart likes Star Wars: the costumes, the light-sabers, the battles.

He's a stereotypical kindergartner. Squirmy. A little shy.

But unlike most 5-year-olds, he's lived his life with specific restrictions. He can't join his friends on the monkey bars. Or count to 10 on his fingers. Because only five of them were fully formed.

With only part of his thumb, a bit of his first finger, no middle finger and "two little nubs" on the right hand, Jacob, who lives in north Phoenix, was starting to fall behind in kindergarten, his grandmother Linda Taggart said.

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Because he is right-handed, he struggles to write and can't fully participate in activities like finger painting.

Perhaps that's why Jacob feels such a kinship with Star Wars.

After all, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader were missing hands or limbs. Many of the characters, including Jacob's favorite — the Stormtroopers — wore suits that resembled contemporary prosthesis.

But they were never asked what was "wrong" with their hands or if they had been eaten off. Unlike Jacob, they didn't have a rehearsed speech for when they met new friends.

"No, (there's nothing wrong with my hand,)" he would practice with his grandma. "I was born that way."

Jacob's life changed in a tangible way Friday. That's the day a local non-profit organization gifted him a mechanical prosthetic arm.

A Stormtrooper arm.

The pre-Christmas present left the 5-year-old speechless. In awe of his new, 100% real — but-still-fantastical looking — white and black hand.

The big day

At about 3 and a half feet tall, Jacob was easy to spot inside the MORE Foundation office in Phoenix. He wore sleek gray Nikes, skinny sweatpants and a white Star Wars T-shirt.

Naturally.

His right hand was hidden under his jacket sleeve.

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In September, the MORE Foundation, a 501(c)3, announced a new program that would use 3D printing technology to create low-cost, high-quality prosthetic hands for children in need.

The simple mechanical device would give children the ability to grip, hold and throw objects. It would also be highly customizable.

Dr. Marc Jacofsky, the organization's executive director, contacted the Taggart family after one of Jacob's therapists referred him to the program.

"We didn't think it was reality," Linda said. "We never thought it'd happen this soon. We're just really excited."

With this prosthetic hand, Jacob will be able to play baseball and ride his bike — two activities his grandma said he was dying to do; He'll also be able to drink water bottles and write with his dominant right hand.

But the organization, which conducts musculoskeletal and orthopedics research and provides medical education training in the community, took the 3D printing a step further, customizing Jacob's hand so it looked like a Stormtrooper.

"Kids want a hand that says something about who they are, that kind of displays their personality on the outside through that prosthetic," Jacofsky said.

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On Friday, Jacob was presented with a box wrapped in Star Wars paper.

He ripped through the first layer of paper. His grandmother helped him unseal the tape. Then Jacob pulled out the black case and saw the arm inside.

"What does it look like?" Jacofsky asked.

"Like a Stormtrooper."

Jacob tried pushing his hand into the device, not realizing he had to undo the Velcro straps first. But once it was on, he disappeared into his own world, slowly lifting tennis balls, watching as he flipped his wrist forward and backward, folding and releasing his new mechanical fingers.

The staff added rubber grips to the fingers, allowing Jacob to lift heavier, slippery objects like full water bottles. He stared at the bottle as he lifted it off the table and twisted it upside down.

Realizing his powers

It didn't take long to sink in.

Soon Jacob was tossing items, attempting to catch tennis balls and lifting up fake lightsabers, this time in legitimate Star Wars fashion.

"I think (Jacob) being able to have this hand is cool because now he's different from (other kids) but in a cool kind of way," said Deja, his 18-year-old sister. "(The other kids) can never have that."

Jacofsky said that, depending on Jacob's rate of growth, he could wear the arm anywhere from six months to two years.

And while the 3D-printing is still costly for some families (about $500 in materials and labor), Jacofsky said they're a much better alternative to traditional prosthetics, which can cost $10,000 to $20,000.

Jacofsky's hand is free — a Christmas present courtesy of the MORE Foundation. They hope to give 100 more to children in need in 2018.

"To see the smile on a kid's face around Christmas and to really improve their quality of life, I don't think there's any words to describe that," Jacofsky said, his eyes watering.

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The foundation will also help the Taggart family find a therapist that can aid Jacob in adapting more quickly to the hand.

"I know he's going to find so many things to do with that hand," Linda said. " It just tears me up thinking about it. I'm just really excited for him."

For families with children who need a prosthetic hand or people who want to support this local program, visit www.more-foundation.org.