An 11-year-old Taylor Swift superfan from Leeds is aiming to raise £20,000 for a bionic arm that would let her play guitar just like the pop star. Kitty Wilmshurst, who was born without her lower left arm, has launched a campaign to fund a Hero Arm – an advanced, lightweight, 3D printed prosthetic limb.
From daily tasks to guitar dreams
For Kitty, the state-of-the-art bionic technology would not only make everyday life easier but also enable her to play the guitar properly. She is the lead singer of the junior band Wildcard, part of the award-winning LS18 Rocks live performance music school in her hometown of Horsforth, Leeds. Kitty is eager to add more of Taylor Swift’s back catalogue to her band’s repertoire.
She said: “I absolutely adore Taylor. It would be so cool to just like be able to just play a guitar just like her.”
Previous attempts and new hopes
Kitty has previously tried playing guitar with a special arm attachment fitted with a plectrum, but the mechanism “can’t help me do all the things I’d like to do.” She added: “It’s good that I’ve been able to try the guitar but I want to be able to play properly. I’ve been a ‘Swiftie’ since I first heard her music at a nursery school disco and I love singing all her songs, but to have a Hero Arm to also play guitar would give me so much more confidence.”
The new arm would also assist Kitty, who starts high school in September, with simple activities like buttering toast, styling her hair, or carrying a drink through a closed door. She explained: “I’ve always found a way to do things, but sometimes it takes longer, and I may need help. If I'm carrying something, I have to put it under my arm, or I have to put it down, open the door, hold the door open, and then get through - it’s really hard.”
Role model ambitions
Despite these hurdles, her limb difference hasn’t held her back from pursuing her passions. She said: “Being in my band has made me more confident, I perform in front of quite a lot of people, and I enjoy it now. I’m not nervous anymore. I just need to be more independent going forward, it’s not that I want to hide my arm. I want to make it more visible and be a role model to other kids like me. But a Hero Arm would really help me change my life and do anything I put my mind to.”
