This is where I’m meant to write why I started this blog. OK, here goes.
My name’s Baylee. I’m 11 years old. And I’m just like every other 11 year old. Pretty much.
I have missing limbs and I wear prosthetics. This all started last year when I gave a talk at school called Don’t Point and Stare. It can be hard to look different, no matter how you try to hide it. I want to let people know that being different is something you can be comfortable with.
I’m part of a charity called Reach and through them I met DoES Liverpool and Enabling the Future. This year I made my first 3D printed prosthetic hand. Then I made another one (it glows in the dark).
This blog is designed to tell you a little more about me, about my prosthetics and the different people I’ve met.
It is all pretty exciting. There are loads of people who’ve given me a helping hand. I thought it was about time I did the same as well.
Tonight I had my first double lesson of ballet & tap tonight & realised how hard it is.
The tap lesson was good but as I have no toes on my left foot it was hard to turn in ballet. At the same time I thought it was fun because I have my mum (who used to be a dance teacher) here to help me at home with anything I am stuck on.
My mum helped me with this little routine here I couldn’t actually do this in class but my mum helped me with it and now I can’t stop doing it
I do have to admit it was really hard and I couldn’t do it straight away but when my mum showed me she had to show me and do it a few times before I got the hang of it 👍👍👏👌😀😄😅😉
Check this out, this is so cool and just shows the recognition given to life changing innovation for kids who will be the coolest on the block (excuse the pun!!)
So its been a while since I’ve posted anything, we have all been really busy doing lots of activities and trying new stuff out.
One thing that has just been sent to us from Bob at Untold Media is the finished talk that I gave at the TSA conference at Cardiff’s Celtic Manor last year. If you missed the post about it then I will give you the background.
Following on from all the publicity about the 3D hand last year I was asked by Alison Scurfield the Chief Exec of The Telecare Services Association (TSA) if I would present to their delegates about my life with missing limbs and how 3d printing has helped change my confidence.
It was a big deal!! The whole family spent ages writing the talk practicing over and over and I even decided to come on dancing with Mum and singing accapella of Beyonce’s running at the end.
The singing came about when I had been at my singing lesson one night and Dad picked me up so I sang to him in the car, as I was singing he said Thats it, thats the song to finish the talk as the lyrics talk about changing and not running from myself which is relevant to me and my life. Here are the lyrics I sang
[Verse 1 – Beyoncé:]
These four lonely walls have changed the way I feel
The way I feel, I’m standing still
And nothing else matters now, you’re not here
So where are you? I’ve been calling you, I’m missing you
[Pre-Chorus – Beyoncé:]
Where else can I go? Where else can I go?
Chasing you, chasing you
Memories turn to dust, please don’t bury us
I got you, I got you
[Chorus – Beyoncé:]
Runnin’, runnin’, runnin’, runnin’
Runnin’, runnin’, runnin’
Ain’t runnin’ from myself no more
Together we’ll win it all
I ain’t runnin’, runnin’, runnin’, runnin’
Runnin’, runnin’, runnin’
Ain’t runnin’ from myself no more
I’m ready to face it all
If I lose myself, I lose it all
So here is the talk, Adrian from Does is on there in the middle and then I come back at the very end to sing. Hope you like it?
Happy new year everyone, sorry we have been a bit quiet.
This video is interesting and shows how 3D scanning is becoming mainstream where it is used by tailors in China to measure for suits rather than a tape measure!
This is the first time I have seen 3d printing being used to print lower leg prosthetics and is an exciting development as well as being a very good cause.
I have had such a busy few days and just got back from Cardiff where I spoke at the TSA International conference to a lot of very important people from the medical and technology worlds and also met some politicians there too.
The weekend started on Friday when I got a nice surprise after school as the limb centre and the guys at Dorset Orthopedic (who make my prosthetics) had rushed my feet through so I had them for the conference. They look amazing and as you can see when I am next to Koby they look so real
Spot which ones are mine?
We had a final run through of our speech on Thursday and Friday and I started to get nervous about singing the song accapella – Runnin by Beyonce. Everything else was fine.
On Sunday we drove to Cardiff and got to The Celtic Manor a 5 star hotel at about 3pm,
we had time to meet our friends Lois & Joe and then had a swim before dinner in a posh restaurant. Early to bed as we had to be fresh for the speech on Monday.
Before you ask we were given special permission to miss school as this was such a big event and Dad said to School we would learn a lot from it. On Monday we woke up and had a swim after breakfast then we had to rush to get ready, not sure why as we were not speaking until 3.30pm but Dad wanted to check it all out.
The main hall where the speeches were is huge, we saw it the night before as it was being set up but this was amazing with all the lights and people in it. Not sure how many saw the talk but TSA said there were around 450 people there. We met Adrian and Patrick downstairs and spent the rest of the morning riding on the escalators in the hotel with Koby. Then we met the lady’s who made all this happen for us Nicola Wass and Alyson Scurfield who is the boss of TSA
The day went so slow but the longer it went on the more confident I felt about doing the speech and the song. We went into the hall about 45 mins before we were due to go live and did a sound check. I ran through the song and felt like it was right to do it.
Before long the hall was filling up and we were introduced by the minister Paul Burstow and then we were off.
We will post a video of the talk when we have it as TSA have videoed the whole thing and said they will share it.
After the talk we heard an interesting man Matthew Warnes who was in a terrible car accident and has rebuilt his life to help others through creating homes ready for those with disabilities.
Afterwards we were interviewed by Bob, Nicola’s husband and I was given a beautiful ring by Alyson with my birth stone in it!!
We had to leave then booooo !! Dad said we had to get back for school, Koby & I just wanted to stay and we loved it so much.
Thank you to everyone we met for treating us so special and we hope to see you all soon xx
This is where I’m meant to write why I started this blog. OK, here goes.
bionicbaylee 