Hailey Dawson (born March 2, 2010) is an American girl who is the first person to throw out the
ceremonial first pitch
The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...
in all 30
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
stadiums. Born with
Poland syndrome
Poland syndrome is a birth defect characterized by an underdeveloped chest muscle and short webbed fingers on one side of the body. There may also be short ribs, less fat, and breast and nipple abnormalities on the same side of the body. Typical ...
, she is missing three fingers on her right hand and has an underdeveloped pinky and thumb. At age 5, she was fitted with a
3D-printed
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...
robotic hand
A robotic arm is a type of mechanical arm, usually programmable, with similar functions to a human arm; the arm may be the sum total of the mechanism or may be part of a more complex robot. The links of such a manipulator are connected by joints ...
by the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...
, 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 at
Angel Stadium
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los Ange ...
. She has also been honored with
dropping the puck at a 2018
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expan ...
–
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
hockey game.
Biography
Hailey Dawson was born in
Henderson, Nevada
Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the Las Vegas Vall ...
, on March 2, 2010.
Her father, Greg, is a corrections officer for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (also known as the LVMPD or Metro) is a combined city and county law enforcement agency for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is headed by the Sheriff of Clark County, ...
, and her mother, Yong, is a photographer. She has an older brother, Zach.[
Hailey was born with ]Poland syndrome
Poland syndrome is a birth defect characterized by an underdeveloped chest muscle and short webbed fingers on one side of the body. There may also be short ribs, less fat, and breast and nipple abnormalities on the same side of the body. Typical ...
, believed to have stemmed from a lack of blood supply at six to seven gestational weeks.[ She is missing a right ]pectoral muscle
Pectoral muscles (colloquially referred to as "pecs") are the muscles that connect the front of the human chest with the bones of the upper arm and shoulder. This region contains four muscles that provide movements to the upper limbs or ribs.
P ...
and three fingers on her right hand; the pinky and thumb on her right hand are also underdeveloped. Her left hand is fully functional.
Robotic hand
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...
, College of Engineering built a robotic hand for Dawson in response to a request from her mother, Yong.[ 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.] She found open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
designs for a 3D-printed
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...
prosthesis posted online by a South African organization called RoboHand, and asked the UNLV College of Engineering to produce one for her daughter.[ The college agreed to take on both the project and the development costs.][ 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.][
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.] Dawson will likely need a new hand every year.[
The robotic hand is constructed from ABS plastic with rubber joints held together with a type of fishing wire.][ It includes about 30 parts.][ The hand does not operate on electronics, but on wrist movement: when Dawson ]flexes
Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...
her wrist, the fingers grip; when she extends her wrist, the fingers uncurl. In 2017 Gerardi added an adjustable thumb and fingertip ridges to help Dawson grip items better.[ The hand is secured to her wrist with Velcro straps.][ Per Hailey's request, the hand is fitted with an arm covering so she can collect autographs of players at the stadiums she visits.][
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.][
Dawson uses the hand to grip and throw baseballs.][ She throws the ball underhand.
]
Ceremonial first pitches
Dawson made her first ceremonial first pitch
The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...
at a UNLV Rebels baseball
The UNLV Rebels baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The team is a member of the Mountain West Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athl ...
game in 2015 shortly after receiving her first 3D-printed robotic hand at age 5.[ She then expressed a desire to throw out the first pitch at a ]Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
game, as her father, a Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
native, had made the team a family favorite. She appeared at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the Baseball park#Retro-classic ballparks, "retro" major league ballparks ...
in August 2015.[ Dawson next posted a request on ]Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
to meet Bryce Harper
Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior to his arrival in Philadelphia, Harper played for the Wash ...
, a fellow Las Vegas native, and in June 2017 threw out the first pitch to him at Nationals Park
Nationals Park is a baseball stadium
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimen ...
.[
In 2017 Dawson expressed a wish to throw out the first pitch at all 30 ]Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
stadiums. A September 2017 video report of her quest posted on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
by ''Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London.
Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Aug ...
'' went viral.[ In response, many Major League teams extended invitations to her.] Major League Baseball also invited her to throw out the first pitch at Game 4 of the 2017 World Series
The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the ...
at Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...
in Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas.[
Dawson began her "Journey to 30" quest to pitch in the remaining 27 stadiums during the ]2018 Major League Baseball season
The 2018 Major League Baseball season began on March 29. The regular season ended on October 1, extended a day for tiebreaker games to decide the winners of the National League Central and National League West. The postseason began on October 2 ...
with an appearance at Petco Park
Petco Park is a baseball stadium in Downtown San Diego, California. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, and has also been used as a venue for concerts, soccer, golf, and rugby.
The ballpark is located between Se ...
, home of the San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
, in late March. On September 16, she reached her goal with an appearance at Angel Stadium
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los Ange ...
, making her the first person to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. flew her and family members to each stadium at no cost.[
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.] For Dawson's appearance in Game 4 of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...
, Gerardi printed and hand-painted two models of the hand featuring the series' gold and blue logo.[
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 the ]National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
.
Other honors
In 2016 Dawson wore a 3D-printed robotic hand inscribed with the seal of the President of the United States
The seal of the president of the United States is used to mark correspondence from the president of the United States to the U.S. Congress, and is also used as a symbol of the presidency itself. The central design, based on the Great Seal of the ...
when she toured the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
and met then-President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
.
On February 11, 2018, Dawson was invited to drop the puck at a hockey game between the Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expan ...
and Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
. Her customized 3D-printed hand sported the colors of the Golden Knights, and she also wore their jersey.[ She threw out the first pitch for the opening night of UNLV Rebels baseball on February 16.
Dawson was the recipient of the first Las Vegas Baseball Ambassador Award presented by the ]Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...
's Las Vegas chapter in February 2018.
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.
In 2019 Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...
issued an Allen & Ginter
Allen & Ginter was a Richmond, Virginia, tobacco manufacturing company formed by John F. Allen and Lewis Ginter around 1880. The firm created and marketed the first cigarette cards for collecting and trading in the United States. Some of the nota ...
card featuring Dawson.
References
External links
"Hailey's Hand" Twitter page
"Journey to 30" calendar of first-pitch appearances
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Hailey
2010 births
2018 Major League Baseball season
American people with disabilities
Living people
People from Henderson, Nevada