Education

Durham high school class building prosthetic hand for Raleigh boy

A 12-year-old Raleigh boy is one of three children expecting to receive a new prosthetic hand, courtesy of a class of Durham high school students.

Posted Updated

DURHAM, N.C. — A 12-year-old Raleigh boy is one of three children expecting to receive a new prosthetic hand, courtesy of a class of Durham high school students.

Juniors and seniors at City of Medicine Academy recently raised money for their Disease and Society class to buy a 3-D printer to create the prosthetic for Matthew DiFrancesco, who was born with his right hand not fully formed.

As part of an organization called E-nabling the Future, the students will learn about prosthetic design while customizing and creating DiFrancesco's new hand.

"I'm looking forward to it to help me get more active with sports," DiFrancesco said Monday, when he visited the class to get a glimpse of his hand being made.

"Another struggle I've had is cutting paper," he added. "I'll finally get to fully grasp it and cut it easily."

He'll receive his prosthetic in about two weeks.

The City of Medicine Academy is a magnet school that puts students on an accelerated track toward careers in medical and health professions.

All students wear scrubs to class to acclimate them to the health care environment.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.