Pizza waiter creates prosthetic arm to help 4-year-old customer ride a bike
Drew Gill was born without part of her arm.
A typical night out for pizza turned into a fateful encounter for one Ohio family, who enlisted the help of their server to create a prosthetic arm for their 4-year-old daughter.
Brandi and Andrew Gill -- regulars at LaRosa's, a pizzeria in Mount Orab, Ohio -- were telling their server one night, 18-year-old Austin Weber, about how their daughter, Drew, was having trouble turning her bike, ABC Cincinnati affiliate WCPO reported. Drew was born without part of her left arm.
Turns out, the Gills told the right person about Drew's difficulties. Weber builds prosthetics using a 3D printer when he isn't waiting tables at the restaurant.
"We were just having a casual conversation with him -- asked him how he's been -- and it led to this," Andrew Gill said.
Weber, who has also created a thumb for his ROTC instructor, has been praised for his ingenuity in the field.
"He's always coming up with some really great ideas," his teacher, Andy Creighton, told WCPO.
Weber designed and built several prototypes until he found one that was perfect for Drew.
Once it was ready, Weber attached the prosthetic to a blue bike for Drew to give a spin.
Drew smiled as her mother strapped a pink unicorn helmet onto her head and the prosthetic device on to her arm.
With a push, the 4-year-old giggled as she made successful turns on her bicycle for the first time.
"Just to see the excitement on her face once she figured out that she can turn it on her own just really means the world," Andrew Gill said.
Even though the device works, Weber will continue to make tweaks until it's perfect, he said.
Creighton said that Weber is the future of the country.
"People talk about the future of our country, and I think it's probably in pretty good hands," Creighton said.