Woman born without left hand fundraising £20k for bionic arm after breaking wrist

Ffion Markham, 22, was born without her left hand due to an undiagnosed birth defect.

She believes she has a congenital condition called symbrachydactyly - which is a hand anomaly - but doctors have not been able to confirm this.

Ffion had to learn to dress herself, cut her food up and tie her shoelaces one-handed.

But in April 2024, when she broke her right wrist after slipping and falling in her garden - she wasn’t able to do anything for herself.

This “wake-up call” prompted her to look around for a bionic hand.

A bionics company, OpenBionics, has made her a bespoke one - but she needs to raise £20k in order to buy it.

Ffion, a trainee teacher from Neath, Wales, said: “Not having a hand, I’ve had to learn how to do everything differently - a bionic would give me a new lease of life.

“I’ve struggled to do things like cutting food and tying shoelaces, which is really embarrassing at 22.

“I used to feel so self-conscious of it as a teenager. I’d always hide it behind my back or pull my sleeve down.

“£20k is so much money, but it would make such a huge difference to me.”

Doctors haven’t been able to tell Ffion the cause of her birth defect - because it’s “so rare”.

After doing some independent research, and reading up on TV presenter Cerrie Burnell’s experience, she believes she may have symbrachydactyly.

But her GP hasn’t been able to say either way.

Ffion said: “When I was younger, I used to see a consultant about my hand.

“I mentioned the condition to them, and they told me they couldn’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

“Because my condition is so rare, they can’t tell me either way.”

Ffion has had to learn how to do basic tasks one-handed, including cutting up her food.

She has a fork with a pizza cutter on it, so she’s able to slice her food without help.

When she wants to do shirt buttons or belts up, she uses her knees to hold her stomach still.

At 22, Ffion says she finds it “embarrassing” that she still needs the extra help.

She said: “I used to hate when people would draw attention to me because of my hand.

“I didn’t want anyone to ask me questions about it. I didn’t want anyone to look at me.”

During primary school, Ffion didn’t take any notice of her birth defect - and said “no-one ever mentioned it”.

But at the beginning of secondary school, she began to feel like she was different to everyone else.

While no-one ever mentioned her hand, she says she still felt insecure - and would put her arm behind her back to hide it.

She said: “I’d pull my sleeves over my hands, and walk around with my left arm behind my back.

“Not just in photos, I was conscious of it all the time.”

In April 2024, Ffion slipped and fell in her garden, leaving her with a broken right wrist.

She says she spent four months in “isolation” - having to take sick leave from work, and unable to go out.

She’d rely on her mum, civil servant Kelly Marham, 39, to do “everything” for her - including getting her dressed.

She said: “I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t work - and I had to rely on my mum for everything.

“She’d even put my shoes and socks on for me.

“If my mum was at work, I wouldn’t be able to get dressed until she was home.”

This was a “wake-up call” for Ffion, who decided she wanted more independence.

She began researching bionics, when an advert for OpenBionic popped up on Facebook.

“I wasn’t expecting to hear back from them,” she added.

“But three weeks after I applied, I had a Teams call with them.

“I went up to Bristol, had all my measurements taken - and it’s taken up until now to get the bionic hand ready.

“I just need to be able to pay for it.”

Ffion made a JustGiving page, and raised £1k in just three days - now, the fundraiser currently stands at £1,638.

She’s planned a Taylor Swift event for October 5, to raise even more money.

“We’ve booked a band and an entertainer,” she said.

“My sister, Mia, 20, will be making cupcakes and donuts.

“We’re obviously going to be making friendship bracelets, too.

“I’m quite shocked at how fast word has got around - but this bionic hand would give me a new lease of life.”