Haylee's story

The lovely Haylee has agreed to tell us a little bit about her limb difference, I came across her on instagram using the name @littlehandfred and absolutely love her positive and hilarious post about Fred.

Tell me abit about you:

My name is Haylee Gardner and I’m a senior in high school. I love animals and am going to college to get a degree in animal science. 

What is your limb difference?

I was born with amniotic band syndrome affecting my left hand. So when I was being developed in my moms stomach, a string came off the amniotic  sac and wrapped around my hand and cutting off the circulation to it and causing it to stop growing. 

When did your parents find out?

My parents actually didn’t know until I was born because it didn’t even show up on my ultrasound. 

What help and support have you been offered?

Support comes mostly from my family and the people around me, and when I was younger I went to Shriners- a n organization that specializes in limb differences in children and other medical issues with them- and was able to get a couple of prosthetics through them. I never really like them, though, because they didn’t realky make anything specifically easier, and I couldn’t feel anything with my hand like I do now. 

What are the positives about your limb difference?

Having this Limb difference has kind of forced me to have confidence through it, and has allowed me to have multiple opportunities through it including numerous news articles and being able to inspire others.

What negatives have you encountered? 

I’ve only ran into one bully, and they actually had abs as well, but they never told anyone about it and was very rude when anyone asked. So when I moved there she was nasty to me because I was so open and willing to share what happened. We were both young, though, and I understand why she was how she was. 

Have you needed to have any procedures?

I haven’t had any procedures yet and I don’t believe that it will cause any problems in the future.

What is the best advice you could give to a family who are pregnant or have just had a baby with limb difference?

My advice is to raise them by telling them that they are no different than anyone else, not to hide their difference, and that it’s not allowed to be used as an excuse. We can do anything anybody without the limb difference can do. 

What advice would you give a kid with a limb difference?

As a kid, don’t let anyone tell you you’re weird or scary and just find the friends who love you regardless of how many hands or feet you have. Don’t focus on the mean people, but the people around you who don’t care about it. 

My instagram is @littlehandfred