, the 麻豆原创-based non-profit that makes 3D printed arms for children at no cost, will receive a $1 million bequest from 鈥渁 kid from Oklahoma鈥� and it all started with what looked like spam email.
鈥淚 was hunting for a team that had the right mindset,鈥� said Anne Smallwood, the donor who sent an email out of the blue with an offer that seemed too good to be true. 鈥淭here are brilliant engineers all over this country. How the Limbitless team internalizes their objectives is important. They care about the outcome, but they are thinking past the idea of just turning out a really good product. They are thinking about how it will change the life of the recipient. And that鈥檚 what mattered to me.鈥�
鈥淗ow the Limbitless team internalizes their objectives is important. … They are thinking about how it will change the life of the recipient.鈥�
Smallwood is not a multi-millionaire. She is a self-described Navy brat who grew up in the Midwest. She retired from clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry, but still teaches courses at Drexel University College of Medicine.聽 One course centers on the process of taking a drug or device from the lab through the labyrinth of development and federal regulation all the way to the patient. She has more than 30 years of experience in that arena, so Smallwood will be advising Limbitless at no cost to help this team as they proceed on their mission to have children鈥檚 prosthetics eventually covered by insurance companies.
Smallwood is able to make this bequest because she didn鈥檛 鈥渓ive up鈥� to her income, and was able to save a nest egg that will benefit Limbitless and two other charities that are close to her heart. Through her estate, she has provided a $1 million bequest that will provide future support for 麻豆原创鈥檚 Limbitless Solutions to continue its work. 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy about this, it鈥檚 almost a shame I鈥檓 not dying right now,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I want to be here to help fund-raise, find other allies, and hopefully smooth the path for Limbitless.鈥�
Her family had a general rule that said, 鈥淟eave it better than you found it (not so much fun when staring at the kitchen sink), although sometimes you had to think about just what that meant and not interfere too quickly.鈥� 聽She grew up around military families and knows their loved ones didn鈥檛 come home unchanged from the Vietnam and Iraq wars. Smallwood has outlived all her close family, which was heart-rending at the time but paved the way for using her resources to make a long-term impact which will honor her military roots.
Making the Connection
Initially she wanted to donate to a university that was working on novel prosthetics that could benefit veterans. 鈥淚t grieves me that the average waiting time to get an artificial limb is about two years,鈥� Smallwood said. 鈥淭he limb is needed because the veteran has generally been blown up and watched troops nearby die in the process. Can you imagine waiting for something that can help you dress, pick up your child, and have a more normal life?鈥� Smallwood emailed several universities that had groups working on prosthetics asking for a meeting because she wanted to give a gift. Most never responded. 麻豆原创 engineering professor Alain Kassab received one of those emails and forwarded it to Limbitless founder Albert Manero 鈥�12 鈥�14MS 鈥�16PhD.
鈥淚 still remember seeing the email and asking, is this for real?鈥� Manero said. 鈥淲e checked it out and we are so glad we did. Anne is amazing. She cares more about people and wants her legacy to be more than just a donation. It鈥檚 about changing lives, which is part of our core beliefs.鈥�
鈥淸Anne] cares more about people and wants her legacy to be more than just a donation. It鈥檚 about changing lives, which is part of our core beliefs.”
Manero explained to Smallwood that children have a need for prosthetics because accessibility is limited for many reasons: children can outgrow the prosthetic, there is a higher rejection rate due to a device鈥檚 weight or appearance, and insurance companies may balk at exceedingly high price tags of the technology. He also shared other projects the group is working on, including Project Xavier, a device that allows a person who is paralyzed from the neck down to drive a wheelchair simply by using facial muscles.
Smallwood was thrilled. She saw the possibility of Limbitless making a difference for children immediately. She also believes that this and other projects on the horizon will help veterans. But she said what won her over wasn鈥檛 the technology or ingenuity 鈥� although that is 鈥渟pectacular.鈥�
鈥淚 read a lot about leadership and decision making and development, and it seems that if all skill sets were equal, it is the heart and the perspective of the team that makes the difference in achieving ultimate success,鈥� she said. 鈥淟imbitless has both.鈥�
Everyone鈥檚 Legacy
It鈥檚 all about the end user for Limbitless.
鈥淥ne of our primary goals, from the very beginning, has been to make sure that no child who needs an arm goes without because they can鈥檛 afford it,鈥� Manero said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what drives us and we are working hard to get there.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 finding the right cause, that smart way to approach monumental goals 鈥� but most important, it鈥檚 finding people with heart who just won鈥檛 give up.鈥�
Last month Limbitless announced its first clinical trials in collaboration with OHSU and its famed prosthetics expert Dr. Albert Chi. The estimated cost for the first 20 children to go through the clinical trial is $10,000 each, which includes the 3D printed arms, travel stipends, and four visits with occupational therapists during the yearlong process. Several philanthropists have helped with the initial group of children that will start the trial in fall 2018.
Making a big difference can be an overwhelming endeavor. But the right heart can turn dreams into reality.
鈥淚 know that sounds simplistic, but that鈥檚 really the core for any donor,鈥� Smallwood said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 finding the right cause, that smart way to approach monumental goals 鈥� but most important, it鈥檚 finding people with heart who just won鈥檛 give up.鈥�
Smallwood said the reason she agreed to 鈥済o public鈥� with her gift was the hope it would inspire other 鈥渞egular people鈥� to donate.
鈥淎lmost everyone I know has running water, a place to sleep, and even has a choice of food every day,鈥� Smallwood said. 鈥淲e are so fortunate.聽 We have another blessing that most of the world does not have 鈥� we can make a difference. I think if given the opportunity everyone would like to make the world a better place through donations of money or talent or time. The point is, you have to jump in and do it. Don鈥檛 think you have enough to make a meaningful donation? Let me share something I heard years ago, 鈥業f you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in a bed with a mosquito.鈥欌��
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