A college pitcher whose prosthetic arm and hand were stolen is taking the money donated to him for new limbs and giving them to charity. Parker Hanson, who was born without a left hand and pitches for Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, announced on Monday that the robbery had happened and asked for help finding them along with the backpack they were inside of.
"To the person in Sioux Falls last night who felt the need to steal other people's property, I hope those prosthetic arms and attachments bring you more use than they brought me," he wrote in the post. "I hope you can use them to better yourself more than I did for myself. I hope you use them to motivate others the way I strived to. I used them every single day, so I hope you can too. So if anyone sees a tan Nike back pack full of prosthetics, please let me know."
Police found Hanson's bag and prosthetic attachments on the side of the road near his home, but still have been unable to find the actual arm. He's noted that the equipment is all specifically made for him, so no one else could use them. The value of the stuff stolen is worth between $15,000 and $25,000.
People have reportedly reached out to Hanson to help him out with paying for new prosthetics, a sentiment that helped him feel a bit better about the situation.
"I've had people from all walks of life reach out hoping I get my stuff back, praying for whoever took it, it rejuvenated my thoughts on how much good there really is in the world," Hanson told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
That being said, Hanson explains that he'll have to wait for the end of the college baseball season to accept any sort of charitable donations as a result of NCAA rules about receiving money. He's taking the situation in stride, and is even offering to donate any of the extra money he makes to charity.
"We're in the process of trying to figure something out, whatever funds I don't need I'm looking to donate back into the community or charities that help people with disabilities," Hanson said.
