Hailey Dawson | |
|---|---|
 Dawson throwing out the first pitch atOriole Park, 2015 | |
| Born | (2010-03-02)March 2, 2010 (age 15) Henderson, Nevada, United States |
| Known for | First person to throw outceremonial first pitch in all 30Major League Baseball stadiums |
Hailey Dawson (born March 2, 2010) is an American girl who is the first person to throw out theceremonial first pitch in all 30Major League Baseball stadiums. Born withPoland syndrome, she is missing three fingers on her right hand and has an underdeveloped pinky and thumb. At age 5, she was fitted with a3D-printedrobotic hand by theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Engineering. She came to national prominence in 2017 when she expressed a desire to use her robotic hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in all 30 Major League Baseball parks. She completed her goal on September 16, 2018, with an appearance atAngel Stadium. She has also been honored withdropping the puck at a 2018Vegas Golden Knights–Philadelphia Flyers hockey game.
Hailey Dawson was born inHenderson, Nevada, on March 2, 2010.[1][2][3] Her father, Greg, is a corrections officer for theLas Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and her mother, Yong, is a photographer.[2][4] She has an older brother, Zach.[1][4]
Hailey was born withPoland syndrome, believed to have stemmed from a lack of blood supply at six to sevengestational weeks.[1] She is missing a rightpectoral muscle and three fingers on her right hand; the pinky and thumb on her right hand are also underdeveloped.[1] Her left hand is fully functional.[5]
TheUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Engineering built a robotic hand for Dawson in response to a request from her mother, Yong.[6] With the cost of regular prostheses exceeding $20,000, and the foreseeable need for Hailey to require new prostheses as she grows, Yong sought a less expensive solution.[7] She foundopen-source designs for a3D-printed prosthesis posted online by a South African organization called RoboHand, and asked the UNLV College of Engineering to produce one for her daughter.[7] The college agreed to take on both the project and the development costs.[2] After experimenting with several RoboHand designs, the college ended up designing their own robotic hand from scratch and printing it on their in-house 3D printer.[7]
While many students in the department worked on the project in its early stages, graduate student Maria Gerardi eventually became the chief designer of Dawson's robotic hand. As Dawson grows, Gerardi modifies the hand using computer software.[8] Dawson will likely need a new hand every year.[8]
The robotic hand is constructed fromABS plastic with rubber joints held together with a type of fishing wire.[2][7] It includes about 30 parts.[6] The hand does not operate on electronics, but on wrist movement: when Dawsonflexes her wrist, the fingers grip; when sheextends her wrist, the fingers uncurl.[8][9] In 2017 Gerardi added an adjustable thumb and fingertip ridges to help Dawson grip items better.[8] The hand is secured to her wrist with Velcro straps.[2][7] Per Hailey's request, the hand is fitted with an arm covering so she can collect autographs of players at the stadiums she visits.[8]
Each robotic hand takes about one week to make and costs $200 in components. Dawson's mother can easily "adjust tension screws or reattach fingers to joints" using a set of tools.[8]
Dawson uses the hand to grip and throw baseballs.[10] She throws the ball underhand.[11]
Dawson made her firstceremonial first pitch at aUNLV Rebels baseball game in 2015 shortly after receiving her first 3D-printed robotic hand at age 5.[6] She then expressed a desire to throw out the first pitch at aBaltimore Orioles game, as her father, aMaryland native, had made the team a family favorite.[6] She appeared atOriole Park at Camden Yards in August 2015.[9] Dawson next posted a request onInstagram to meetBryce Harper, a fellow Las Vegas native, and in June 2017 threw out the first pitch to him atNationals Park.[6]
In 2017 Dawson expressed a wish to throw out the first pitch at all 30Major League Baseball stadiums. A September 2017 video report of her quest posted onTwitter byBleacher Report went viral.[6][12] In response, many Major League teams extended invitations to her.[10] Major League Baseball also invited her to throw out the first pitch at Game 4 of the2017 World Series atMinute Maid Park inHouston, Texas.[6]
Dawson began her "Journey to 30" quest to pitch in the remaining 27 stadiums during the2018 Major League Baseball season with an appearance atPetco Park, home of theSan Diego Padres, in late March.[13][14] On September 16, she reached her goal with an appearance atAngel Stadium, making her the first person to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.[15]United Airlines flew her and family members to each stadium at no cost.[6]
For each stadium Dawson pitched at, the UNLV College of Engineering produced a 3D-printed robotic hand customized with the home team's logo and colors.[13][16][17] For Dawson's appearance in Game 4 of the 2017 World Series atMinute Maid Park, Gerardi printed and hand-painted two models of the hand featuring the series' gold and blue logo.[8][13]
After reaching her goal of throwing out the first pitch in all 30 MLB stadiums, Dawson donated her Baltimore Orioles-themed robotic hand, which was signed by 13 members of the team and staff, to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[18]
In 2016 Dawson wore a 3D-printed robotic hand inscribed with theseal of the president of the United States when she toured theWhite House and met then-PresidentBarack Obama.[19]
On February 11, 2018, Dawson was invited todrop the puck at a hockey game between theVegas Golden Knights andPhiladelphia Flyers.[20] Her customized 3D-printed hand sported the colors of the Golden Knights, and she also wore their jersey.[20] She threw out the first pitch for the opening night of UNLV Rebels baseball on February 16.[21]
Dawson was the recipient of the first Las Vegas Baseball Ambassador Award presented by theSociety for American Baseball Research's Las Vegas chapter in February 2018.[22]
On August 2, 2019, Dawson was invited back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before an Orioles–Blue Jays game.[23]
In 2019Topps issued anAllen & Ginter card featuring Dawson.[24]