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Flight Time
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SEPTEMBER 2018
Real Life
AMB ION I CS WI LL F I ND
OUT I F HE ’ S THE WI NNER
OF £ 50,0 0 0 I N THE NESTA
I NVENTOR PR I ZE
COMPET I T ION FOR AN
I NVENT ION THAT ’ S VERY
PERSONAL TO H IM…
s Ben and Kate Ryan
celebrated the birth of
their first baby, Sol –
named after a solar eclipse
that was taking place as he was born
in 2015 – they had no inkling of what
lay ahead for their beautiful son.
Ten days later, his left arm had been
amputated below the elbow following
the discovery of a huge blood clot.
Once back at home in Menai Bridge
on Anglesey, Ben began to research
what could be done to help Sol. As a
further education psychology lecturer
by profession, he was convinced that
early intervention was vital for Sol to
adapt to life without his arm.
But he soon learnt health
professionals wouldn’t offer a
prosthetic arm until Sol was a year
old – and even then, the artificial
arms would be purely cosmetic with
no grabbing or holding action. Ben
decided he couldn’t wait that long.
“I had been told by our consultant
A
TH I S MONTH , BR I T I SH
I NVENTOR BEN RYAN OF
Portrait
of an
inventor