Handicapped girl can now play drums, thanks to engineers from Washington!

10-year-old Jayna Doll from Seattle was born with hemimegalencephaly. It’s a rare condition where one half of the brain grows abnormally larger than the other. Doctors removed half of Doll’s brain as a baby to get rid of her life-threatening seizures. Now that means she cannot use part of her left side, including her left hand.

Jayna Doll (photo by KING)

Some University of Washington engineering students and professors are helping Doll with a new device. “The majority of this device is 3-D printed,” said UW senior Bradley Wachter. He explained the device attaches to Doll’s arm, and the claw on the end opens and closes depending on Dol’s left elbow movement. An added attachment allows her to fulfill a lifelong dream – play the drums. “She’s always been drawn to music since she was an infant,” said Sunshine Glynn, Doll’s mother. Here you can see a video showing how happy this girl is now!