Minnesota baseball player gifted new prosthetic arm

A Minnesota man is receiving the help he needs after his prosthetic arm was stolen from him last month.

On Friday, Parker Hanson made a visit to Shriners Children’s Twin Cities, a place he’s been coming for years.

As a native of Hawley, which is just east of Fargo, Hanson was born without his left hand. From an early age, doctors at Shriners have helped him get fitted for a prosthetic arm.

"We see a lot of children with limb deficiency," said Robin Crandall, Hanson’s longtime doctor at Shriners.

"I remember how small my first arm was compared to the way they look now," Hanson said.

But Friday’s visit wasn’t always part of the plan. Hanson’s backpack was stolen from his car last month. Inside was his prosthetic arm and his attachments.

"Right there, just heartbreak, just gut-wrenching," Hanson said.

Days later, the prosthetic arm was found in a recycling plant in Sioux Falls.

"It was broken, there were cracks on that and then his liner also had some glass shards in it so all those obviously make it not functional," said Allyce Fisk, a Shriners physician assistant.

As a baseball player in college for Augustana University, his story quickly spread.

"A lot of people reached out and wanted to help, which was incredible," Hanson said.

His college and others started a fundraiser, chipping in thousands to help pay for a new arm. Ultimately, Shriners wanted to be there for the 24-year-old.

"You have to have special agreement to treat them after age 21 but, yeah, we certainly tried to bend over backwards to get him a new arm," Crandall said.

Friday, he started the process to get fitted for a new prosthetic arm.

"Based on what activities they’re participating in, that will also drive how they’re using their prosthetic and how we’re fitting them for that," Fisk said.

As for all the money raised for Hanson, he decided to donate it back to Shriners and NubAbility — a nonprofit that helps kids with limb deficiencies get involved with different athletics.

"That’s honestly the best thing about this situation, yeah, I got to donate money back to a couple places that are close to my heart or that I care about but the bigger picture is I got to impact lives," Hanson said.

Doctors say Hanson’s new prosthetic arm should arrive in the next two weeks. Even though his college baseball career is over, he hopes to continue playing.