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‘I want big people hands:’ Girl with birth defect hoping to get ‘superhero’ hands

Posted at 9:27 PM, Mar 16, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-17 08:22:05-04

WYOMING, Mich -- A little girl from Wyoming is hoping to get a new set of hands, along with a new sense of confidence.

And we're not talking about your average mechanical hands, but something a little more super that she can show off to her friends.

Baylee Sherman, 5, was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome. It's a birth defect that can cause everything from cleft lips to webbed-like toes. In her case, the birth defect bound some of her fingers together and made others shorter than the rest.

"It's hard to explain to her why they are like this," said Alicia Burk, Baylee's mother.

According to Dr. David Colombo with Spectrum Health, the birth defect can be hard to explain. Amniotic Band Syndrome is a condition that occurs when early in pregnancy the membrane that surrounds the baby, the amnion, sends little sheets into the space where the baby is. Colombo works with Maternal Fetal Medicine and says those sheets can become sticky and ultimately cut off blood supply. The result is that certain body parts can get smaller or bigger, or even combine.

But according to Baylee's mother, the little girl didn't notice the difference until now and just started asking her mother why her hands aren't like most others.

"So, she's starting to get [ that her hands] are different and she doesn't quite get why," Burk said. "I just tell her that the Lord wanted her to be different and wanted her to have the most special hands on Earth."

Although Baylee may have the most special hands on earth, she's hoping to get some "superhero" hands.

"I want some gloves that are like some hands," Baylee said.

She's talking about mechanical hands, made with 3D printers, which are custom made for each kid. The mechanical hands would not only help her with everyday tasks, but would come with a confidence boost.

"If somebody could help her make that dream come true that would be so cool," Burk said.

Baylee has undergone three surgeries to try and fix her fingers, but not much progress can be made at her age. Doctors say they can't do much until she's 18 because her hands will keep growing. Her mother says she's seen stories around the country where people make these hands through 3D printers and they're hoping to get Baylee a pair of her own.

If she is fitted with new hands, Baylee says she's hoping to get Elsa gloves from Frozen or Mal gloves from Disney's 'Descedants.'