Meet Lila

When Elizabeth was five months into her pregnancy, she and her husband, Tom, went for an ultrasound. There, they were surprised to learn that their baby was missing her right hand. "Finding that out was the worst day of my life," says Elizabeth. For months, they worried about it and about what else might be wrong.

In the end, Lila was born with no other problems. Knowing ahead of time became a blessing. While still pregnant, the couple was able to process the news, tour Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, and discuss options for Lila's care with Gillette staff members.

At five months old, Lila received her first prosthetic from Gillette, which helped her balance when sitting up. Today, Lila proudly wears her "helper hand." Recently she asked her father, "Daddy, do you wish you had a little hand like me?" She also comes to Gillette for occupational therapy to continue working on skills to expand her use of her prosthetic hand.

"Having one hand really doesn't seem to faze Lila. I remember once when she was younger, she was sitting in her highchair and we gave her an Oreo," recalls Elizabeth. "We turned away for a moment and when we turned back, we were amazed to find she had opened the Oreo and was licking the frosting from the inside."

Gillette provides custom-made prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and other equipment to children, like Lila, who need them most.

The image below is a print placement, part of the Cure Pity Campaign.
To see a larger view, click on the image to download the PDF file.

Click to view a PDF of Lila's print ad