A Weston woman with a rare syndrome has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a bionic arm.

Emma Turner, aged 44, was born with a very rare neurological disorder - moebius syndrome – which primarily affects the muscles that control facial expression and eye movement.

Emma also has multiple limb reductions, which means all of her limbs are malformed. Emma has no lower left arm from just below the elbow, and only two working fingers on her right hand.

Emma, who works in adult care and loves travelling, suffered nerve damage in her only hand last year and lost all feeling and movement for sixth months.

Doctors have told her this could reoccur, so Emma wants to raise £9,700 for a bionic arm which will help her to remain independent.

She said: “I have never needed social care until last year when I suffered from severe nerve damage in my only hand.

"For nearly six months I lost all feeling and nearly all movement. It is still not 100 per cent, and doctors say it could reoccur.

“For the majority of those six months, I had to have carers coming in up to three times a day to help me with washing and dressing, cooking and cleaning, which totally messed with my mental health, because I've been so stubbornly independent all my life.

“The doctors say I need to be able to rest my only hand that isn't fully formed as much as possible, which is easier said than done, since I have to use that hand for everything with support from my stump.

“So, this is why I am in the process of getting a bionic arm – also known as a Hero Arm - from Open Bionics in Bristol. I have had my first assessment to see if the muscles in my stump are suitable for using the arm, which they are.”

The Hero Arm is the world's first clinically approved 3D-printed bionic arm, with multi-grip functionality and empowering aesthetics.

Emma added: “At the moment I use my two-fingered hand and stump to do everything, so I will use the bionic hand to support my actual hand with so many things, from holding my phone, using a fork, holding pan handles, maybe writing, and especially to give me more stability on my tricycle by holding the handle bar.”

To donate to Emma’s crowdfunding campaign, log on to https://gofund.me/457be250