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The mother of a seven-year-old boy who has been fitted with a device to help him play hockey says he just wants to be like every other kid.

“He has a double thumb and a pinkie on his right hand,” said Jennifer Young. “He doesn’t have a strong pincer grip on that hand.”

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Connor was born with symbrachydactyly, a congenital abnormality that can cause short fingers, webbing or missing fingers. Thanks to donations to the War Amps for recreational prosthetics, Connor was fit with a device that protects his hand and allows him to hold a hockey stick.

He is now a proud member of the Ice Ninjas, a Knights of Columbus (KC) minor league hockey team.

“No one sees he’s any different from the other kids playing hockey,” Young said, adding that she’s proud of her son’s easygoing attitude.

“Connor is very open about having a different hand,” she noted. “There is also of course peer pressure. It’s important for him to be just like his friends, play hockey just like his friends and hold onto his stick like everyone else, shake hands like everyone else.”