Christmas came early for 15 men in the Dominican Republic. This week’s program features Dean Rock and John Curran, who will talk about “3-D Printed Prosthetic Hands: A Look Into How These Devices are Made and the Impact for Patients."
 
Portland Rotary’s John Curran knew what he wanted – more realistic prosthetics for people in the Dominican Republic who were missing a hand or arm – but he needed someone with the knowhow and technology to make the vision a reality. That someone, Dean Rock, who is retired and lives in Cumberland, owns a 3-D printer and is part of a global group of volunteers (e-NABLE) who literally “print prosthetics.”
 
e-NABLE describes itself as a global network of “passionate volunteers” who are using 3-D printing to “Give The World A Helping Hand.”
 
There were challenges along the way, such as getting accurate measurements and making designs specific to the user’s purpose, which John and Dean can describe more fully this Friday.
 
Dean accompanied the Rotary team that went to the Dominican Republic in October and fitted 15 men with their new prosthetics. He said in a 'Forecaster' article this past August, “What I’m really looking forward to with this trip is the look on one man’s face of the difference this will make in his life. That will be my reward.”
 
Sounds simple. Looks easy. But, wait, as we will learn this Friday, there’s more to the story.