'Getting a second hand means I can handle a mower'

Ms Griffin said her new hand had "completely changed how I do things"

A woman who always wished she had a second hand to "make life so much easier" has said finally getting a usable one has been "surreal" and "life-changing".

Julie Griffin was born with a congenital limb difference and has used what she called "a dress arm" since childhood, but said they were "just for show".

The 54-year-old recently became the first person to receive a multi-grip prosthetic hand at the Wirral Limb Centre, which helps her grip, point and use touchscreens.

She said she felt "so emotional" to now have a working second hand, which was "incredible" for her favourite hobby of gardening and meant she could now "handle a lawnmower".

Ms Griffin approached the limb centre when routine medical assessments found her left arm was gradually getting weaker, and asked if it was something the hospital could offer through the NHS's multi-grip policy.

She received the arm after the NHS agreed funding.

The technology, developed at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, allows people to use a precision grip, power grip, and finger-pointing for touchscreen use.

She said getting it had been transformative, as her previous prostheses had lacked functionality.

"I can remember being four or five and always having what I called a dress arm," she said.

"It was attached, but it never actually did anything – it was just for show.

"There were obviously things I couldn't do with two hands, and that frustrated me.

"Everyday tasks like tying my shoelaces or drying my hair were much harder, and I used to wish I had a second hand to make life so much easier."

'Change your life'

She said that over the years, she adapted by using assistive gadgets and learning creative ways to manage tasks with one hand, but the moment she started using her new hand was "so emotional".

"I was born without a right hand, and suddenly, after all this time, I had one and I could tell it what to do.

"It felt surreal."

She said the prosthesis meant "even something as simple as changing a duvet cover is easy".

"It's the little things that most people take for granted that have made the biggest difference," she said.

"It's been incredible for gardening.

"I can handle a lawnmower now, which has made my favourite hobby so much easier and more enjoyable.

"I can hold a bucket with both hands while watering or grip twigs in one hand while cutting them.

"It's completely changed how I do things."

Ms Griffin added that she hoped her story would encourage others to explore their options.

"At first, I would catch myself reverting to my old ways and had to remind myself, that I have a new hand now," she said.

"It took some getting used to but I can't stress enough how life-changing this has been.

"For anyone out there who might be eligible, I'd say 'look into it. It could change your life too'."