SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Thieves broke into Parker Hanson's car a few days ago and stole his prosthetic arm. He thought it was gone forever.
Hanson was once a Hawley, Minn., standout, cranking out homers in high school and on the legion field, all without a left hand. He's now playing at Augustana University in Sioux Falls.
"My roommate came in, woke me up before class, and he goes, 'Our cars were broken into,'" Hanson said.
Someone rifled through his car and stole his prosthetic arm from a backpack.
"My heart dropped. That was horrible, and a month ago, my roommates and I were joking, 'What if someone stole my arm? What would I do?'" Hanson said.
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He thought it was gone forever until workers at a Sioux Falls recycling plant spotted it in a huge pile of trash.
"I woke up and got a text, and I was shaking from excitement," Hanson said. "It was pretty cool. Seeing what my arm went through was pretty funny.
"The guy who found it was pretty excited. (He) had a big smile on his face and shook my hand," he said.
They called Hanson down to the recycling center and, in an emotional moment, presented the stolen prosthetic arm to him.
Since news broke of the stolen prosthetic, Shriner's Hospital announced it was getting Hanson a new prosthetic arm. The money Hanson raised in the last few days is going back to Shriner's and another nonprofit for kids with disabilities .
Hanson also reached out to some of those kids who want to play catch with him
"I want to make someone's day better. If I can make one person's day better every day, that is a good day for me," Hanson said.
To donate to Hanson's fundraiser on www.augielink.com visit https://bit.ly/3oebhO0.
