SAN ANTONIO – Jaxon Belew's parents never heard of the word symbrachydactyly, let alone knew how to pronounce it before he was born in November of 2011.
"It was a complete surprise when he was born," said Jaxon's father, Chad Belew.
But they quickly learned all about it. Jaxon was born with a partial left palm and five nubbins on his left hand. An issue that became a non-issue as he grew, learning to adapt and keeping his parents from looking at prosthetic solutions.
"He's done everything so well without it that we've never gone that route," said Chad Belew.
That was until a couple of weeks ago when the Belews saw a Facebook post from a group called Enable. Made up of hundreds of volunteers, the group aims to use 3D printers to make assistive hand devices for those in need.
"It's a cool factor maybe. It's not just a prosthetic for him to learn to do things," said Chad Belew.
And to up the cool factor, Marvel Universe Live pitched in to let every child select their superhero-themed hand. Jaxon went with Spiderman at Wednesday's event in Dallas.
"He's still learning how to grab things with it and use it, but he put it right on," said Chad Belew. "Last night we were driving home from Dallas and he had just gotten his hand and he put it on and was holding his iPad Mini. He said, ‘Look Dad, I'm using my superhero hand to hold my iPad!' My wife and I looked at each other ... and that's what this is about."
Jaxon not only has a new hand but also a new friend. Hudson See, a 6-year-old living in San Antonio, made the trip as well. Born with two fingers on his left hand, a condition known as ectrodactyly, he received a Captain America hand at the same event.
"First we had to tie it and then I got to hammer these little things in," said Hudson, pointing to his new hand. "I tried to grab something. I grabbed a water bottle and it was real awesome. I was getting happier."
"That was the first time also Hudson had seen another kid like him and he was saying, 'That kid has one more finger than me,' or 'That girl doesn't have a hand at all,'" said Cortney See, Hudson's mother. "He was so excited to see that he was not alone."
"That was probably the coolest part for us, to see him interact with other kids that have a limb difference," said Chad Belew.
The boys have already bonded over their similar obstacles but are still warming up to their new hands.
"I think right now it's more of a toy to him," said Chad Belew. "He doesn't understand everything he can do with it."
"He might be used to doing something a certain way with two fingers," said Cortney See. "Add three more fingers in and now he has to reteach himself how to do it."
Hudson was hesitant to wear his new hand to school, but after classmates kept asking for it, he's ready to wear it on Friday.
"Come tomorrow when he wears his hand, I think it's going to be good not only for him, but for other kids his age to see that, yeah we all come in different shapes and sizes, and that's okay," said Cortney See.
The 3D-printed hands were designed by people across the country. Unlike prosthetics, which can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, the Enable hands give parents a more economical tool for growing children.
"To print a hand costs anywhere from $20 to $50 in material costs," said Chad Belew.