PediatricsCongenital Limb Differences
AthletesBilateral Upper Limb DifferenceDealing with other peopleHybrid Prostheses

Setting Him Up for Success: Jameson’s Experience with a Congenital Bilateral Upper Limb Difference

Amber Henson
by Amber Henson
Oct 8, 2024

Brooke and Jim of Washington State were expecting their first child in 2012. About halfway through Brooke’s pregnancy, they found out that their son, Jameson, would be born with both arms ending at his elbows. It was a shock, and neither of them knew where to turn. Congenital bilateral limb difference is extremely rare. Brooke and Jim wanted to know what their son’s life would look like and how they could help him, but they found few resources.

Jameson Davis 2012.11.28 Photo 4

After doing some online research, they discovered our Arm Dynamics center in Portland, OR. Brooke knew they needed to find an upper limb prosthetic expert who had experience working with young children. Brooke remembers: “Back when Jameson was four months old, we went for a visit to the Portland center. Jameson was tiny, but I was like, I need to get him in the door.” They were eager to learn more about what prosthetic options were available for babies and children, and to give our team the chance to learn more about Jameson’s unique limb difference. At seven months, Jameson was fit with passive arms, allowing him to get used to the feeling of wearing prostheses, and helping him with hand-eye coordination, vision, depth and distance.

jameson_davis_patient_profile (1080p)-thumb

When he was 18 months old, the family returned to the center to get new devices — babies grow quickly! This time, Jameson was fit with myoelectric arms, which allowed him to grasp objects — the first time his parents had seen him do that. A few television programs picked up Jameson’s story and the family was featured on a show called “The Doctors.” Our Arm Dynamics team created a short patient profile video, and before you click play, get ready for a cuteness overload!

Those myoelectric prostheses made a lot of things possible. Jameson, now 12 years old, looks back on when he was younger, “One of my earliest memories is using my myoelectric hand to pick up and eat jellybeans.”

Shortly after Jameson received those myoelectric arms, Brooke and Jim welcomed another son, Jackson, and two years later, a girl, Noel. The family was growing, and so was Jameson’s collection of too-small prostheses. Jameson visited the Arm Dynamics center for maintenance, larger frames or upgrades at the ages of two, three, four and six years. Here’s Jameson with his myoelectric devices at six (cuteness overload warning still in effect):

Congenital bilateral pediatric patient Jameson Davis rides his bicycle with his myoelectric prostheses

Around 2018, two things happened: The family experienced a gap in insurance coverage, and Jameson started to learn how to do more things without his devices. Both Brooke and Jameson’s dad, Jim, didn’t want to push him. Brooke: “We knew that we’d given him the tools early to show him what was out there. When he was young, it wasn’t his decision, he was a child, so it was ours. We wanted to give him every opportunity. But as he grew, we wanted him to know it was his decision what to wear.”

Jamison expand

Then COVID hit and that took everyone out of commission for some time. But earlier this year, Jameson started to express interest in getting a new prosthesis. Brooke recalled: “We fundraised and battled with insurance until we finally had all the pieces in place for his next appointment with Arm Dynamics.” It was a couple weeks before school started, and the family had some free time each afternoon to go be tourists in Portland. Jameson: “We went to the zoo and out to eat.” Brooke: “We got sushi, which is Jameson’s absolute favorite.” You can watch Jameson’s short patient progress video below and see his prosthesis below that.

Jameson Davis Transhumeral PX

Jameson has one prosthesis now, worn on his left side. Because of his experience with myoelectric devices, even without wearing one for a few years, he was immediately proficient with manipulating his TASKA CX hand. Brooke was so happy to see it: “Everyone at the Portland center, Mac, Jamie, Cullen and Shannon [the center’s prosthetist, occupational therapist, prosthetic technician and center patient coordinator] was so impressed by how he could maneuver his new myoelectric just like that.” Jameson likes his new device and hears a lot of comments on it. “Adults think it’s cool. They’re like, ‘That’s sick, dude.’ But kids are like, ‘Woah, don’t hurt me.’” Jameson went on to demonstrate his knowledge of different grip forces for different myoelectric hands, pointing out that the TASKA CX can grip items securely but doesn’t grip hard enough to hurt people. This kid has done his research!

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Just after returning from their Portland trip, Jameson received some very cool news. He’s been practicing Taekwondo for about three years. Now he’s two belts away from a black belt, and his coach has asked him to start training for the next Paralympic games in 2028 in Los Angeles! “That came out of the blue,” Brooke told us. “We didn’t seek it out or anything, they just think he’s amazing.” Jameson doesn’t use any activity-specific devices to compete, just mostly uses his legs. “Mac and I talked about activity-specific devices while I was there, like ones for basketball and it’s good to learn about those.”

Taekwondo

While Jameson doesn’t need his device for Taekwondo, it has been coming in handy for school, where he wears it each day. “It’s easier to grip a pencil, or to open or close my backpack without having to use my mouth with the zipper. I can eat cereal easier — it just makes a lot of things easier.”

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Jameson’s first day of school for the 24/25 school year, sporting his prosthesis.

We’re so glad that Jameson has access to the tools that can allow him to get through his day faster, allowing him to do more activities and lessen his chances of overuse injuries. We’re also so thankful to him and his mom for speaking with us and updating us on his journey. We look forward to hearing about his next visit to Portland!

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Jameson wearing his initial prothesis, shaking his mom’s hand using his myoelectric hand — his first time doing that.

If you or someone you know is looking for upper limb prosthetic care, either for themselves or their child, please contact us. We fit our patients with comfortable sockets and terminal devices to help them reach their goals, and we also teach them how to use those devices.

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