JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Dalilah Ruvalcaba never needed a right hand, but last summer, she decided she wanted a change.
The 10-year-old was born without half of her right arm. When Dalilah started to consider a potential prosthetic, she set her sights on the ‘Hero Arm’ by Open Bionics.
“My whole life, I never really wanted a prosthetic until now,” Dalilah said.
The Hero Arm is a custom-made, 3-D printed prosthetic. Dalilah said she’d be able to control it by thinking of different actions and it responds with actions from her nerve signals. She said she’s used it in practice to pick up balls and cut food with a fork and knife.
“I feel like I wanted it, maybe not for extra support, but maybe like help out with some of the things like makeup, cooking in the kitchen, stuff like that,” Dalilah said.
After she expressed interest in a prosthetic, her family got to work on making it happen.
“I just want to give her the best, like every mom does,” Desirae Ruvalcaba said.
Desirae said the arm would cost their family thousands of dollars and insurance denied paying any part of it. She made a GoFundMe, and supporters donated more than $20,000 in three months.
“It’s been a journey,” Desirae said. “You don’t stop and take no for an answer, we got to do this for her. It’s a powerful, moving journey we’ve been on for the last couple months to get her this prosthetic.”
By March, the family had enough money to purchase Dalilah her own Hero Arm.
“So happy,” Dalilah said. “I was so happy.”
With the money raised, reality set in that things were about to change for the Ruvalcabas. Desirae wondered how a prosthetic would impact the daily routine her daughter had created over the last 10 years.
“Dalilah has done anything and everything any other kid has done,” she said. “She’s met the milestones any other kid has when she was a baby, toddler and now a bigger kid. Now part of me is like, she is going to have to take a second step and guess, wait how do I relearn this? An extension of an arm and wrist might slow her down a bit at first.”
One thing she knew for sure: Another hand could never define Dalilah. Desirae knew her daughter would still be the hardworking, curious, giggly girl she always has been.
“She always has a helping hand to help out students,” Desirae said. “Nothing intimidates her. She’s never been like, 'Maybe I shouldn’t do that because I have a little hand.' She’s always been like, 'I think I can do that because I have a little hand.'”
Desirae said Dalilah’s arm wouldn’t be ready until May, but the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Along with the arrival of her arm, came the arrival of another gift.
“We had a new baby come,” Dalilah said. “He’s very silly but I’m in love with him.”
Dalilah’s little brother, Ricardo, was born May 7.
“At first when I had met him, I was kind of bummed he didn’t have a little hand like me,” Dalilah said with a laugh.
A new baby presents a new opportunity for Desirae and her husband.
“My husband and I joke about like, we don’t know how to take care of a baby with two hands,” Desirae said, laughing. “It’s our dark humor and so we’re like, wait a minute. We’re so used to putting everything on the left side for all of us because she’s left-handed.”
Ricardo was born two weeks before Dalilah got her Hero Arm.
“It was a really big change, I feel like, but I actually really like it,” Dalilah said. “I’ve done so many things with it and I feel like I just have a little extra support with it.”
Dalilah said, since getting her prosthetic, she’s been able to help change diapers, brush her hair and scroll on TikTok. She said one of her favorite features if showing off a ‘peace sign.’
Desirae said she cried the day the arm arrived.
“The look on her face. She was so excited, so motivated, instantly, and she took it to school the very next day” Desirae said. “Being able to provide something like this to kids like her, it’s a good thing. So, we’re excited.”
Dalilah said she’s been using the arm every other day for practice. Some things she still prefers to do one-handed, but now she’s unlocked the opportunity to choose.
“You’re just excited to see how it works, huh?” Desirae asked Dalilah.
“Yeah,” Dalilah responded.
“But the sky’s the limit with her,” Desirae said. “She’s got big dreams and she’s so motivated and we're excited.”