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James Robert III was born with no fingers on his left hand, and he is using his disability to fuel a passion to help others like him.
The recent graduate is pursuing a master's degree in prosthetics and administration while serving as chief print technologist at Make Good NOLA, a New Orleans-based organization that creates custom prosthetics for children with limb differences.
When Robert was 2 years old, he underwent a toe-to-hand transfer surgery to improve functionality in his left hand. The procedure, however, didn't work as hoped. Still, he went on to play multiple sports, learn to play the trumpet and develop skills in archery and marksmanship, all with just the five fingers on his right hand.
"Putting a positive spin on it, it was hard. Not impossible, but very, very, very, very, very hard," he said. "I had to take whatever anyone could throw at me and just keep kicking."
That included name-calling, insults and exclusion, he said. Robert said he found motivation in his grandfather's advice: "People with small minds hate dreamers. They can't see the dream."
Robert is turning his lived experience into solutions for others. Working with mentor Noam Platt, founder of Make Good NOLA, Robert has co-created the first 3D-printed wheelchair and numerous other adaptive devices using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology.
"We've found, with most of our staff who are disabled, is that they're the best problem-solvers, the smartest, hardest workers I've ever met," Platt said.
"Being here and doing the right thing at the right time, being in the right place," Robert said. "It's beautiful."
Robert's mother, Deidre, was beaming with pride during a surprise reunion arranged by TheNews.
"I want to say that I'm so proud of the man that you are, the man that you've become, and how you give of yourself so selflessly to others, and you burn the candle at both ends to do it. It just speaks volumes about who you are, and you really are the change that we wanna see in the world. You're our future. I'm so proud that you're part of it," she said.
"That's how you raised me to be," said Robert.
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