Donations and Check Presentations

Fastpitch Cares Presents $35,000 Check to Doernbecher Childrens Hospital

By November 15, 2018 No Comments

Fastpitch Cares Presents a $35,000 check to support a 3D Printing of Prosthetics This year, all of the money raised by the Fastpitch Cares Community will be going directly to the brilliant and life-changing work of Dr. Albert Chi at Doernbecher Children’s HospitalDr. Chi is opening the door for kids so they can open the door for themselves. Literally.

Fastpitch Cares is excited to officially reveal our donation of $35,000 to Dr. Chi at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital! By using a 3D printer, Dr. Chi has been able to create high-functioning prosthetic limbs for a fraction of the cost of traditional prosthetics. Since highly advanced prosthetics are often cost-prohibitive for children since a new limb has to be remade almost yearly as the child grows. Dr. Chi’s leverage of 3D printers offers life-changing prosthetics for children who would not have access otherwise.

After hearing about the miracles Dr. Chi has made for countless children, and his need of financial resources for advancing and growing his work, the Fastpitch Cares community made it our 2018 mission to raise as much money as possible to support his work.

With the $35,000 Dr. Chi will be adding many new pieces of equipment to the prosthetic limb lab at OHSU. He will be adding equipment like a new scanner for limb socket development, two highly advanced 3D printers, and other materials needed to fit and develop prosthetic limbs.

At the check presentation, we were fortunate enough to meet Johnny Matheny, the man that Dr. Chi created a mind-controlled bionic arm for. John Hopkins Hospital received over $120 million from the US Defense Department to develop the arm, and Dr. Chi performed the TMR (targeted muscle reinnervation) surgery in 2011.

“Johnny was the first person in the U.S. to undergo osseointegration surgery to implant a metal rod into the bone of his upper arm. This rod extends past the end of Johnny’s stump and can attach to various prosthetics or prototype limbs. The rod is, essentially, a permanent docking station for a modular prosthetic system that can be upgraded over time as technologies improve. Even more futuristic than this seamless integration of bone and metal is that the mechanical arm is controlled by the human mind.” -OHSU Onward

This ingenious, innovative, and forward-thinking work is what drew Fastpitch Cares to Dr. Chi. He is using his expertise to reach children that would not have access to help like this otherwise.

We would like to thank the Fastpitch Cares community for your unwavering support. The loyalty and generosity that has surrounded Fastpitch Cares over the years have been unbelievable. Whether you participated in the tournament, a sponsor, a donor, or an advocate for Fastpitch Cares, you are what makes this all possible. We can’t wait to see what 2019 brings.