Fund raising bid to buy young Calderdale boy a bionic arm passes the £6,000 mark

Since the fund raising page was set up hundreds of donations have poured in to help Jacob Scrimshaw, who was born eight weeks premature without his left arm.

He is an energetic boy who doesn’t let his disability hold him back.

However over Christmas he told his mum, Gemma Turner, 35, “I hate being like this, I want to be like everyone else”.

The mother, who also has two-year-old Sebastian and a third due in June, said: “Jacob was born eight weeks premature without his left arm.

“The doctors don’t know why and there’s no reason for it. He struggles to do everyday things like tie his shoelaces, turn the pages in a book or use an iPad.

“Unfortunately they don’t offer the type of prosthetic Jacob needs in the UK so we’ve had to look elsewhere.”

She added: “He’s only started asking about his arm recently since starting primary school. He’s become more aware that he’s different to everyone else.

“I didn’t think it was bothering him but over Christmas he had a bit of a melt down. He said ‘I hate being like this’ and ‘I want to be like everyone else’, which was heartbreaking.

“He said he wants an arm and I know we can get him one, so we’ve began fundraising for him.”

Jacob’s left arm stops short of the elbow, which makes adding a prosthetic difficult and impossible to get on the NHS.

The aim of the fundraising campaign is to raise £25,000, which would cover the £15,000 prosthetic and trips to America for the procedure.

The type of prosthetic Jacob needs is called a body-powered arm, which would be strapped around his chest. The prosthetic is not currently available on the NHS.

The work will have to be done a company in New York. The superhero-loving lad has specially requested an arm with a green sleeve to look like the Hulk.

To help the fundraising efforts, visit the Go Fund Me page here